Orzo Salad with Cannellini Beans and Olives

By Pattywak

It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I first discovered orzo. I love cooking with it, because it’s a pasta you can cook like rice. For this recipe, I used the orzo to make a sort of Italian “rice” salad, but with orzo pasta. Last summer, I was crazy about rice salads. And now that the heat is here again, I can’t stop thinking about them. It’s something my whole family loves. They’re more filling than simple salads, and can easily be made vegetarian. This is not only a healthier option for our family, but also helps our grocery budget.
For this recipe I used cannellini beans, tomatoes and lots of olives. I also added some fresh flat leaf parsely and spring onions to liven up and balance out the canned goods in this dish.

Ingredients

• 1 lb package orzo pasta
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 – 15 oz can, rinsed and drained, black olives, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup pimento stuffed olives, roughly chopped
• 1 – 15 oz can, rinsed and drained Cannellini beans
• a large bunch of spring onions, sliced
• a large bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• 2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Add orzo and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Turn heat off and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

2. Add black olives, capers, pimento stuffed olives, Cannellini beans, spring onions, parsley, grape tomatoes, and feta cheese to a large bowl. Add orzo and mix well. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm, or room temperature.