Summer Orzo Salad
One of my favorite things about the summertime is that the produce department and farmer's markets are loaded with great seasonal vegetables. I created this recipe for Summer Orzo Salad to combine some of those summer flavors and I hope that you enjoy! This salad is a great summer side and is good cold or at room temperature. It is perfect for a BBQ or picnic!
Lemon-Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette:
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| This recipe calls for a lot of chopping and dicing of vegetables. Shown here: Diced onions, yellow squash, zucchini, and bell peppers along with corn cut off the cob and minced garlic. |
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| The recipe calls for sautéing the vegetables in a combination of unsalted butter and extra-virgin olive oil. The butter provides the great flavor, while the EVOO provides the high cooking point. |
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| Once the butter and EVOO have been heated, sauté the vegetables begin to soften, but not until they brown. |
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| One of the great things about this salad, is the Lemon-Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette that brings it all together. |
SUMMER ORZO SALAD
Prep Time: 20 to 30 minutes Cook Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy Yields: 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS:
· 1 medium yellow onion, diced
· 1 medium yellow squash, diced
· 1 medium zucchini squash, diced
· 1 celery stalk and leaves, finely chopped
· 1 ear of yellow or white corn, sliced from cob
· 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper (assorted colors)
· 1/4 cup chopped green onions (green and white parts)
· 2 cloves of garlic, minced
· 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
· 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
· 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
· 2 teaspoons black pepper
· 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
· 1 teaspoon dried basil
· 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
· 3/4 cup Orzo pasta
· Lemon-Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette (recipe below)
· 4 oz. container of Feta cheese crumbles
· 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
· Zest & juice of one lemon
· 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
· 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
· 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
· 1 teaspoon kosher salt
· 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:
First, begin by chopping and dicing the first eight ingredients. After the prep work is finished, place the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the butter has melted and is sizzling, add the prepped vegetables to the skillet and sauté for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once you have added the vegetables to the pan, add the salt, pepper, pepper flakes and dried basil to the pan.
While the vegetables are sautéing, cook the orzo according to the package instructions. After the orzo has cooked, make sure to drain the pasta and place in a serving bowl. Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the bowl with the orzo.
Once the vegetables have begun to soften, add them to the bowl with the orzo and tomatoes. Next, add the vinaigrette and the parsley to the bowl. Stir to make sure that the vinaigrette covers all of the pasta. Lastly, add the feta crumbles to bowl and carefully make sure that it is thoroughly mixed well. Enjoy!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR VINAIGRETTE:
Using a Microplane, zest an entire lemon making sure to only zest the yellow part. Once zested, juice the lemon into a small mixing bowl. Add the zest, Dijon mustard and the white wine vinegar. Using a whisk and constantly stirring, slowly pour the olive oil into the lemon juice-mustard mixture. Once done, add the salt and black pepper and whisk to combine.
COOK'S NOTES:
Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta and cooks extremely fast. Although it looks very small before cooking, it cooks up really big and makes a lot!
The vegetables that I chose are some of my favorites, but feel free to add or subtract from this list. Some jalapenos, sun-dried tomatoes and Kalamata olives would all be great in this salad!
When preparing to make the vinaigrette, make sure to zest the lemon before juicing. It is almost impossible to zest a lemon after juicing. Also, microwave your lemon about 10 to 15 seconds to make it really juicy.
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| Summer Orzo Salad with Seared Italian Chicken with Gremolita and Roasted Rutabaga. |
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