Italian Orzo Pasta Salad

This twist on a traditional Italian pasta salad is a recreation changer. The orzo pasta provides this salad the right chunk and texture. Plus, it’s loaded with crisp veggies and a straightforward home made French dressing dressing.

Love orzo as a lot as we do? Then you definately’ll love our Lemon Chicken and Orzo.

Why My Recipe

• Loaded with completely crisp and crunchy veggies and all of the scrumptious orzo.
• Do-it-yourself Italian dressing that’s fast and straightforward to make.
• Straightforward to prep the night time earlier than and able to throw collectively if you want it!

What’s nice about this salad is the scale of every ingredient. The orzo pasta, mini pepperoni, and small items of mozzarella all match collectively on one spoon, supplying you with the right chunk. And the feel of this salad is just about excellent. For those who’re frightened a couple of soggy pasta salad, this isn’t that! Cooking the orzo pasta to al dente and mixing it with olives, peppers, and tomatoes makes this pasta salad gentle with that excellent crunch. This pasta salad and my Mediterranean Chickpea Salad have develop into my go-to for meal-prepping a fast and engaging lunch!

Ingredient Notes

• Orzo Pasta: This short-cut pasta resembles rice and is discovered within the pasta aisle at most grocery shops. Prepare dinner to al dente for a agency, chewy chunk.
• Olives: the sliced black olives in a can are an incredible possibility, or you could possibly go inexperienced.
• Mini Pepperonis: Simply swap for normal, sliced pepperoni or salami.
• Inexperienced Bell Pepper: Substitute with yellow or pink bell peppers for a sweeter taste.
• Pepperoncini: Provides an incredible crunch and tangy zip. You can additionally substitute with banana peppers.
• Cherry Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes additionally work, and you need to use pink or yellow.
• Contemporary Mozzarella: Cubed contemporary mozzarella provides a pleasant delicate texture to the salad. Nevertheless, you could possibly all the time use these little mini mozzarella balls or shredded mozzarella as an alternative.
• Salad Dressing: You can also make your dressing with contemporary herbs over dried. You’ll need to use one tablespoon of finely minced contemporary herbs for each teaspoon of dried herbs the recipe requires.

Non-compulsory Add-Ins

Meat: We love these mini pepperonis for a way properly they mix with the scale of the opposite components, however in case you’re not a fan, you may simply swap with a unique protein. We advocate grilled rooster, floor Italian sausage, or sliced salami as an alternative.

Veggies: We love a great crunch to our pasta salads. For those who’re seeking to load up with extra veggies, you could possibly add one other bell pepper (yellow and pink are sweeter), some chopped pink onion and zucchini, or perhaps a diced jalapeño for just a little kick of warmth

Beans: Add some extra substance to your salad! Beans are a good way to make this pasta salad just a little extra hearty and filling. Garbanzo beans (chickpeas) pair properly with this salad for his or her dimension and texture.

Cheese: Be happy to make use of your favourite cheese. You need to use mini mozzarella balls or shredded mozzarella as an alternative of chopped contemporary mozzarella to avoid wasting time. Parmesan can also be an incredible different that may pair completely with the Italian flavors.

Make-Forward Directions

This pasta salad is tremendous simple to make forward. You possibly can whip up the dressing 1 to 2 days early and stash it within the fridge. Then cook dinner the pasta the night time earlier than and retailer within the fridge to relax. Once you’re able to eat, all you’ve obtained to do is chop the veggies and toss all of it collectively in an enormous bowl. Finished and accomplished!