Best Orzo Salad With Cucumber Tomato Basil And Feta Recipes

ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, or until slightly past al dente. Drain the orzo and toss it with a little olive oil, so that it doesn't stick together. Spread onto a baking sheet to cool.
• Prepare the Greek Salad Dressing and add in the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, and sea salt.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cooked orzo, cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, feta, red onion, and olives. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, add half the herbs, season with freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat. Garnish with the remaining herbs and serve.

ORZO WITH FETA, CUCUMBER AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Place orzo pasta, chicken broth, water, and half the chopped red bell pepper into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until orzo are tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse. Allow to cool.
• Place orzo into a large salad bowl with remaining red bell pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil; toss to coat. Mix in cucumbers, feta cheese, roma tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and cumin; toss salad well. Drizzle 2 more tablespoons olive oil over top of salad. Refrigerate 1 hour, tossing once or twice; season to taste with salt and black pepper before serving.

ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• To make the dressing, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, garlic, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set the dressing aside.
• To make the salad, combine the bell pepper, cucumber, onion, chickpeas, olives, walnuts, mint and parsley in a large mixing bowl.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of salt and a small splash of olive oil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain the orzo in a colander, then add it to the vegetable mixture while the orzo is still hot. Immediately pour the dressing onto the orzo and vegetables, and stir to combine. The hot orzo will readily absorb the dressing. Add a splash more olive oil if the salad seems too dry. Allow the salad to cool to room temperature, and add the feta, if desired. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Give the salad a stir, then taste and adjust the seasoning before serving, if need be.

GREEK ORZO SALAD (ORZO FETA SALAD)

Steps:

• To prepare this delicious Greek orzo salad recipe, start with cooking the orzo pasta. Boil the water in the kettle. At the same time heat the olive oil over a medium high heat in a large saucepan. Once the oil is shimmering, add the orzo and cook, stirring often until the orzo starts to color. Fill the pan with boiling water, stir in a of teaspoon of salt and cook the orzo for 10-12 minutes, until just tender and al-dente.
• Drain the orzo and rinse under a cold tap until the water running out the pasta runs clear. Set aside to drain away any excess water, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta sticking to each other.
• Meanwhile, quarter the cherry tomatoes, peel and finely chop the onion and the cucumber, and quarter the olives.
• Transfer the cooked orzo to a large bowl and stir in the salad vegetables. Roughly chop the fresh herbs and add those too.
• To make the dressing, in a small bowl combine the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, lemon zest, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Stir this into the orzo mixture.
• Add the cubed feta and stir carefully, making sure the cheese pieces don't break up too much. Season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed, and leave to stand in the fridge for roughly an hour before serving to allow the orzo to soak up the dressing. Enjoy!

MACRINA'S ORZO SALAD WITH CUCUMBER, BELL PEPPER, BASIL AND FETA

Steps:

• SALAD.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast on the center rack of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Let cool, then coarsely chop and set aside.
• Peel and core the cucumber and cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Core the red and yellow peppers and cut them into 1/2-inch-square pieces.
• Set aside.
• Fill a large saucepan two-thirds full of water.
• Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
• Drop in the pasta and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender.
• Remove the pan from the heat and drain the pasta in a colander, then cool the pasta by running cold tap water over the colander for a few minutes.
• Shake the colander to remove excess water and transfer the cooled pasta to a medium bowl.
• Toss with the olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together.
• Add the toasted walnuts, cucumbers, peppers, olives, scallions, basil, parsley and feta.
• Drizzle in the Lemon Vinaigrette and toss well.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• LEMON VINAIGRETTE yield: 1 1/4 cups.
• Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a medium bowl.
• Mix well with a whisk.
• Add the oil in a slow stream, whisking as you pour.
• Continue whisking until the dressing has emulsified, then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

TOMATO, BASIL, AND FETA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, toss together the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper.