Orzo Super Salad Recipe

By neysa

Ingredients

• 10 medium asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1
• inch segments 1/2 a medium head of broccoli (or broccolini), cut into small trees small handful of cilantro(or mint if you prefer), chopped

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 20mins
Adapted from 101cookbooks.com

Preparation

Step 1

I thought we could chat a bit about orzo salads today. Do you see one at just about every potluck or group picnic you go to? Or is it just me? Whether or not you like orzo salads, you have to respect them to a certain extent. I mean, after surviving the perils of transport, they often assume their position on whatever table beckons, and then endure hour upon hour exposed to the elements. A tough job for any salad. Inspired by a bag of whole wheat orzo I had on-hand, I decided to take a stab at a new version. One that is less pasta-centric than most, made from ingredients that can handle a ride around town on the back of a ten-speed or scooter. One that can handle some time at the beach or park. I used the whole wheat orzo as the base and then packed in as much super-nutritious goodness as I could - almonds, avocado, cucumbers, sprouts, asparagus, feta and baby broccoli.

I'm sure this isn't the last orzo salad I'll make this year. I'm thinking that the next one will likely be with slow-roasted tomatoes, once the summer crops arrive. But I'm always open to suggestions and ideas.

If you are going to transport this to an outdoor picnic or potluck, place all of the ingredients, layered, in a big bowl or container. Toss the avocado gently with a bit of lemon juice ahead of time - so it doesn't brown. Make sure there are a few inches of head room in the container, and you'll need some sort of lid. Carry the dressing in a separate jar. When you are ready to serve the salad, gently toss the ingredients with the dressing using your hands, or leave the lid on the container and gently shake/tumble it - not ideal but it works. You can double or triple this recipe to serve more of a crowd. To make it vegan, you know the drill, skip the feta. And GF-ers, you can swap in a gluten-free grain/rice (for the orzo) and make a grain salad out of this instead.

1 cup dried (whole wheat) orzo pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and boil the orzo per package instructions. Avoid over-boiling, you want your orzo to be cooked through, but maintain structure. About 30 seconds before the orzo is finished cooking stir the asparagus and broccoli into the orzo pot. Cook for the final 30 seconds, drain and run under a bit of cold water. Just long enough to stop the cooking.

In the meantime, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, and more salt (if needed) into the dressing. Set aside.

When you are ready to serve the salad toss the orzo, asparagus, broccoli, and cilantro with about half the dressing. Add more dressing if needed, and toss well. Now add the sprouts, almonds, cucumber, avocado, and feta. Very gently toss a couple of times to distribute those ingredients throughout the salad and serve.

Orzo is probably my favorite grain-like non-grain, and this salad looks like the perfect solution to the perpetual question of what to bring to a picnic or potluck. I think I'm going to make something with orzo tonight to get into the spirit!

Looks wonderful! Funny, because I just made my first-ever orzo salad, but I served it hot and "cooked" tomatoes in citrus juice for it. Sure wish I could have found whole wheat orzo!

I've seen beautiful orzo salads over the years and always meant to make one, I just never got around to it. This looks like it will be the perfect recipe to break that trend!

I'm pretty sure that at least half of the people at the potlucks I go to don't even know what orzo is, haha. Maybe I'll make this for the next potluck and find out :)

Beautiful photos! I love all the white. Nice reminder to use up that box of whole-wheat orzo in my cupboard.

yum, what a great idea to add all those yummy veggies...and sprouts! my favorite. my favorite orzo salad is with garbanzo beans, green onions, feta, dill, lemon juice and olive oil. yum!

I've never seen whole wheat orzo. I just made an orzo pasta salad for our last family picnic. You're right; pasta salad is easy to make and easy to transport, which are both important considerations when you're planning a picnic.

You know, I usually skip orzo because I've never seen a whole wheat version! I'll have to look for that. Thanks for the great recipe, as always.

Best orzo pasta i've ever had was with different colored sliced tomatoes, red onion, feta, dill, and sun dried tomatoes, mixed all together with white wine vinegar and olive oil! amazing! ate at least a serving a week throughout college! Cucumbers optional! it was always a hit! This looks good too!

WOW!!! Heidi, this looks great! I'm going to try and make it... yuuumm, I can't wait :) thanks!

Reminds me of the Leon Original Superfood Salad with some variations (they use quinoa and peas vs. orzo and asparagus). Can't wait to try both and compare.

This is a salad I could eat for breakfast! I tend to avoid orzo because I haven't found a whole wheat version, but saw recently on another blog that Whole Foods has it in their bulk foods section.

I make one all the time from Cooking Light.

Put that in a bowl, chop up fresh spinach, drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper, zest of one lemon plus juice of one lemon, pine nuts and feta cheese and just stir it all up for a cool salad! It's so good!

My whole family likes asparagus, so I have to make your version. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

I love a good orzo salad, and this one looks spectacular. I'm jealous, however, of the fact that you had a bag of whole-wheat orzo just lying around, available for the deliciousness. I've looked in every grocery store in my area and the higher-end ones in larger cities (when I get to them), and thus far I have found exactly NO whole-wheat orzo. I'm to the point of seriously considering learning how to make it myself. Heidi, if you have a good source for the stuff - especially if it's online - I would love to hear about it.

Heather

what perfect timing! have some sugar snaps from the farmer's market that I need to use along with some other small bits of veggies but may put in a bit of goat cheese as I love how it makes things creamy/tangy at the same time. I think I will be adapting this to many things this summer. THANKS!

LOVE Orzo -- it's one of my favorite pastas -- just boil it up and throw anything on it, butter, sauce, pesto, or throw it in a stir fry or soup -- very versatile! I normally use ditalini for pasta salad (or elbow), but am willing to try with my buddy orzo! Thanks for the ideas!

Thank you so much for posting your recipes with the "print recipe" feature. It makes it so easy. There are other sites where I have difficulty getting it to print JUST the recipe!

Anyways, I made this salad and it was fantastic! With it I served grilled salmon with a light-chunky peach glaze. I am from Utah and peaches are everywhere! There was no refined sugar added, just peaches, grapefruit and some a little honey. My husband also put a little Dijon mustard with his. It wasn't that bad!

I'll buy some whole wheat orzo at Whole Foods this weekend, but Heidi - please post another orzo recipe before the end of the summer to help me use it all up!

Wow, this looks refreshing and delicious! Just one question though, what would you recommend to replace the feta with to make the salad vegan?

HS: Hi WC, you can simply leave it out. The salad will still be good. That being said, I do like the creaminess the feta adds - and that salty tang. You could certainly make the dressing a bit creamier by pureeing it with some avocado. I'd resist the urge to substitute one of those soy-based vegan substitutes - i.e. cheese, yogurt, sour cream, etc. Maybe a pinch or two of nutritional yeast would bring that bit of tang into play...

LOVE whole wheat orzo--always have it on hand! This looks like a fab combo---will try soon!

For those of you looking for whole wheat orzo, I found an organic one at

http://www.pastacheese.com/rusticehllaorganicwholewheatorzopasta.aspx.

The flavor and texture combination in this sounds wonderful! I love to add all sorts of fresh herbs to my orzo salads. A combination of mint and basil is one of my favorites. I'm going to make an orzo dish tonight with saffron and fennel.

Orzo is often overlooked or forgotten, but sometimes it's just the right grain for the dish. Whole wheat all the better.

I also really like fruit added to something like this - apples, strawberries, etc.

i usually toss whole wheat orzo with feta and grape tomatoes i've roasted with shallots. a delicious side dish on its own, or a good base for add-ins.

Orzo? I'm glad a few reviewers have mentioned getting it online, since I just don't remember seeing it in front of me when I shop (but maybe I either wasn't looking for it or I don't shop at the right stores). I'll have to look around, since I DO love pasta salads, especially when a little pasta is mixed in with a LOT of veggies.

But I must add one addition. Because I witnessed an Orzo trick in a kitchen I worked in years ago, and I feel it is my duty to pass it onto anyone who makes or eats or likes this wondrously textured pasta.

"Toast" orzo in a saute pan with a wee bit of butter or vegetable oil over low heat until it browns like pine nuts. Then cook as you would if it were raw. It's like adding nuttiness without using nuts!

This looks delicious! I'm going to make it tomorrow night. Love the site. I'm trying to reduce the amount of animal proteins I consume and this site is an excellent source of recipes. Thanks!

going to use some little wheat pasta things if i can't find orzo, shells etc...

Instead of adding salt to the dressing try a dash of miso paste and fresh grated ginger.

- with a cilantro pumpkin seed pesto with some lime/lemon juice and a touch of ginger. Then I just add a bunch of grilled veggies and wilt some spinach in. Yum!

- with a dash of truffle oil and a mixture of oyster, portobello and enoki mushrooms grilled or sautéed beforehand

Your food makes me want to be a better person. XO

tried it tonight with what i had on hand...no cilantro, used italian parsely instead. had almonds but forgot to add them. amazing still. other than that, made as written. lovely, especially for a non pasta eater like me :-D

Love the combination of ingredients (and I really love the serving bowl!) -- lately, I've been addicted to broccolini.

The sprouts look so good. Did you sprout them yourself and what have you sprouted? I can't buy anything that looks this good in Dubai so would like to make my own. I like the prevalence of lemon in your recipes. I know people have cravings for chilli (I do) but I also often have to have a lemon fix. My kitchen is not complete without a bowl of lemons handy.

Sounds absolutely divine! Cannot wait to make this at home. Your website is beyond fantastic, thank you for such a fantastic site!

Small comment - the email introduction had me thoroughly confused. "orzo" is Italian for barley, and also for a roasted-barley coffee substitute hot drink. So, I thought I'd found a new salad in the direction of bulgar wheat or something like that. What I'm assuming is called "orzo" in the USA is called "pastina" here (lit. small pasta), and it's generally used for soup or for infants. I can just imagine my Italian friends' reaction if I used it for a salad... well, I'll give it a try at home! You can lead an Italian to a new food experience, but it ain't always so simple to make them try it!

This looks fabulous! I've never even gotten close to considering using orzo for salad. Love it mixed with sauteed vegies drizzled with garlic/basil infused olive oil, but haven't thought of serving orzo cold. Thanks to you, I will from now on. Just love what you do with food!

In the spirit of orzo salad, here is another! The restaurant Macaroni Grill has an orzo salad (Spinach-orzo) on their menu that I adapt and make at home. I think you’d appreciate the mix of flavors:

So LULLY! We are having a huge family picnic and I am totally bringing an orzo salad. I do mine with grilled veggies - asparagus, red onion, red and yellow peppers [because i am above green] and the basic red onion and garlic. Toss with a balsamic vinaigrette and shrimp. Oh, and sweet delicious basil. I love to use the sweet marinated red peppers at the good grocery stores. Man, I love a good olive bar. I sometimes I add a lil cilantro too - the greatest flavor in the world. Remember when we were in MN and found culantro? MAN! I would love to have access to that. I can't believe I don't have unlimited access to that living in CA!

It's time for me to get into summer salads and this is a great place to start. Whole wheat pasta is another thing I feel guilty about not using a lot yet. Now I've got a new lease on whole wheat pasta. Thanks!

Mixing Bowl Mama

I love orzo too, but haven't been able to find a whole wheat variety. Rice wine vinegar looks like it would work here too.

hi, heidi - i recently discovered your blog and just love it! i have found so many recipes on here and from your cookbook that are absolutely delicious - i really love how you play with flavor and textural combinations. my favorites so far are the chipotle white beans and beluga lentil crostini, and now, this delicious salad! made it last night using leftover quinoa from heather's quinoa (also delish!). thanks for making eating well easy and exciting!