Hey guys!
This pasta salad is a little different from your ordinary bow-tie pasta comfort level — today we’re using orzo! Orzo is a small pasta that resembles the look and feel of rice. It’s great as a lighter option for lunch since it doesn’t really feel like you’re eating a whole bowl of pasta, and it takes much less time to cook through since it is relatively smaller.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup of orzo (serves 4)
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1/2 cucumber, halved and cut into quarters
- 2-3 stalks of green onion, chopped
- 1 zest of whole lemon
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Dried cranberries / cherries / blueberries
- Feta cheese, 1/2 cup
- Fresh mint, chopped
- Fresh Basil, chopped
- S+P, to taste
This is a super simple recipe and the longest part is waiting for the water to boil — which is a perfect time to prep all the additions you want to put within the pasta salad. I’m talking wash the herbs and pat them dry, cut the cucumbers, and get the green onions prepped.
Once your water is boiling, salt like you normally would with other pasta. Cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente and drain water. As you allow the pasta to cool, pour the olive oil over the orzo and add the zest of your lemon and lemon juice. Mix together and allow to cool off completely. By doing this. you’re preventing the pasta from sticking together but the lovely fresh lemon zest will bring a citrus note to the salad. It also smells damn good.
After about 10 minutes of patience, add the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep in the fridge. Add a smidge more lemon juice if you feel that the acidity level is lacking. you can eat this salad right away or chill overnight and it gets that. much. better!!
Peace and good eats,
-A❁
Little Girl, Big Eats 