Orzo Pasta Salad
Fresh ingredients, summer veggies, and gourmet olive oils and vinegars come together in this wonderful seasonal pasta salad.
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked Orzo about 4 cups cooked
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup zucchini sliced and halved
- 1 cup summer squash sliced and halved
- 8 oz. small mozzarella balls halved
- ½ cup chiffonade of fresh basil i.e., sliced thinly
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- ¼ cup
Primo Grapefruit Balsamic Vinegar - 1 Tb. fresh garlic minced
- 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup
Primo Arbequina Olive oil
Instructions
- Follow package directions to cook orzo.
- While orzo cooks, prep tomatoes, zucchini, squash, mozzarella, basil and pine nuts. Set aside.
- Combine dressing ingredients (except olive oil) in small bowl; slowly whisk in oil to emulsify/thicken. OR, toss all ingredients into a lidded jar and shake vigorously. Set aside until ready to use.
- When orzo is cooked al dente, drain in a colander and allow to cool about 15 minutes. Run a spoon through it every once in a while to cool it down.
- When relatively cool (i.e., still a little warm to the touch), add orzo to a large mixing bowl, along with balsamic dressing, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, & mozzarella. Taste for seasoning and adjust according to preference.
- Add pine nuts and basil just before serving, so basil does not turn brown and nuts stay crunchy.
Notes
A delicious recipe from My Delicious Blog. It's a great way to incorporate fresh summer veggies and makes for a wonderful dish to bring to a backyard hangout.
