Green Orzo Salad
Description
A veggie-filled orzo pasta salad that's bursting with the fresh flavors of cucumber, parsley, and shallot. Salty feta, briny olives, and fresh oregano round out the flavors.
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1 ¼ cups dry) dry orzo pasta
- Kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups chopped spinach or arugula
- 1 English cucumber, diced (about 2 cups)
- ¾ cup sliced pitted olives (I like a combo of castelvetrano and kalamata + 2 tablespoons olive brine)
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced (½ cup)
- 4 ounces crumbled feta
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, oregano, Dijon, honey, and pepper flakes.
- Drain pasta well then add to bowl with vinaigrette; toss to coat.
- Add spinach, cucumber, olives, olive brine, parsley, and shallot; toss until well combined. Gently stir in feta, reserving some for garnish. Season salad with salt and additional red pepper flakes to taste.
- Transfer salad to a large serving bowl and sprinkle reserved feta over top.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Dairy-free: to make this dairy free leave out the feta.
Gluten-free: to make this gluten-free, use any shape of gluten-free pasta you prefer.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 6.5gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 746mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3g
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