This salad today is one that would be perfect to add to your Memorial Day barbecue. It is a fun and different way to have a pasta salad. If you have never had orzo before, it is just a type of pasta. Before it’s cooked it look like rice. It is fairly easy to find in most grocery stores, but you could easy substitute a small shaped pasta if you can’t find it. I adapted the recipe from one I found in the coupon section of my Sunday paper.
Orzo Salad
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta (that is before it is cooked)
- 3/4 cup Italian dressing
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 22 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 22 extra large olives, halved lengthwise
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley copped (I used Italian parley)
- 1/2 cup spinach, chiffonade
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Prepare orzo pasta according to package. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well.
- Prepare ingredients as listed above. To chiffonade the spinach, place several spinach leave together and roll up from the long side. Then make small slices with your knife. Pretend like you are making cinnamon rolls with the spinach. That’s the best way I can think to describe it. Then you end up with little strips of spinach. Set the spinach aside in the fridge until serving time.
- Toss all of the ingredients except the spinach and cheese with 1/2 cup of the Italian dressing. Chill for one hour.
- Before serving, toss in the spinach along with up to 1/4 cup more dressing if needed. Top with cheese. Serves 6-8
Making it tonight for dinner! So glad I found your blog through my google search!
oooh I love this ingredients list! Cold orzo salad sounds awesome – I want it now!