Bonus Recipe: Sunny Orzo Pasta Salad
lemon + garlic + parsley + feta
Hello!
As we move into the final weeks of summer, it feels like the right time to share a pasta salad recipe. This chilled orzo pasta salad will carry you through the hot days ahead when you don’t want to turn on the oven to make dinner.
I don’t know about you, but I can happily eat pasta salad as my main course, especially if it’s paired with glass of wine, a quiet house and a book to read while I eat. But since that dreamy scenario rarely happens, I’m usually serving this salad with grilled sausages or chicken (or store-bought rotisserie) to keep the rest of the family satisfied.
I’ve been making this orzo pasta salad for so long that I’m not sure where the original recipe came from. I’ve changed it slightly over the years, but not much. One thing I’ve never changed is adding a dash of turmeric to the boiling pasta water to give the orzo a sunny yellow color.
This pasta salad isn’t complicated. You mix orzo with lemon, oil and garlic then add a generous amount of fresh parsley and crumbled feta. There’s plenty of bright, fresh, lemony flavor and creamy, salty cheese to give the pasta plenty of flavor without adding anything more. BUT you can also use this recipe as a starting point to create the pasta salad of your dreams.
Want protein? Add beans, chicken breast or smoked salmon. Want briny, salty flavor? Add Kalamata olives, capers or sun dried tomatoes. Want more vegetables? Add cherry tomatoes or roasted zucchini.
The versatility of this recipe is why it’s been my go-to pasta salad for so many years. It’s looks pretty, it’s easy to make and it’s so, so good!
Sunny Orzo Pasta Salad
Servings: 6
Cooking Method: Boil pasta and mix together ingredients
Preparation Time: About 30 minutes
A printable pdf of the recipe can be found at the bottom of the page.
Questions? If you have any questions about this recipe, just ask in the comments!
Ingredients
1 pound orzo
1 teaspoon turmeric
¼ cup cup olive oil
¼ cup sunflower oil (or any type of vegetable oil)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped parsley (see notes below - you’ll need almost a full bunch of parsley)
2 cups crumbled feta
Optional Additions:
1 can drained and rinsed chickpeas or white beans
1 cup pitted kalamata olives or regular black olives
2 to 3 tablespoons capers
Cucumber, chopped
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Roasted or grilled zucchini
Fresh corn shaved off the cob (raw or cooked)
Sun dried tomatoes in oil (drain off the oil)
Chopped chicken breast
Sliced salami
Smoked salmon, crumbled (I usually leave out the feta when I add smoked salmon)
Instructions
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil (6 cups water + 1 teaspoon salt).
When the water is boiling add the turmeric and stir well.
Add the orzo. Set the timer for 1 minute less than the package of orzo recommends as a cooking time (usually I cook it for 8 minutes). Stir the orzo a few times as it boils to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
While the orzo cooks, whisk together the dressing in a small bowl: olive oil, sunflower oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt.
Drain the orzo (don’ t rinse) and shake the colander a few times to shake off excess water. Dump the orzo into a large bowl. Immediately add the dressing to the warm orzo. Mix well.
Chill the pasta in the refrigerator before adding more ingredients (about 30 minutes). It doesn’t have to be completely cold, but you don’t want the parsley to wilt and the feta to melt.
When the pasta is cool, gently mix in the parsley and feta.
Add any additional ingredients, if you want.
Add more salt to taste and a few grinds of black pepper. Don’t be shy about adding another squeeze of lemon!
Recipe Notes
Adding turmeric to the pasta water is optional but adds a sunny yellow color.
I boil the orzo 1 minute less than the package recommends so that the pasta doesn’t get too soft. Cold orzo salad has a better texture when the orzo isn’t mushy!
I prefer curly parsley for this pasta salad because it’s easier to chop AND you can chop curly parsley in a food processor by pulsing the blade repeatedly until the parsley is finely chopped. Don’t run the blade continuously - pulse it - and make sure the parsley is very dry before you put it in the food processor.
Add a generous amount of salt to the pasta water. This seasons the pasta and gives cold pasta salad more flavor.
Using half olive oil and half sunflower oil prevents the salad from having the overpowering flavor of olive oil, which can sometimes taste bitter.
Don’t rinse the pasta. Rinsed pasta won’t absorb the dressing as well.
Pour the dressing over the pasta when it’s hot/warm. Warm pasta absorbs dressing better than cold pasta.
If you’re dairy free, the feta is optional.
This is a bonus recipe for paid subscribers. You can find the entire collection of bonus recipes on the Kitchen Skip Substack recipe index page. Bookmark this page and visit often for cooking inspiration! Think of the recipe index page as an online cookbook, just for you!
