Orzo Pasta Salad

When it comes to summer dishes pasta salads are an essential for me. Whenever we have a BBQ I can guarantee you there will be a pasta salad on the side, along with other essentials like potato salad, veggie kebabs and so on.

What is orzo?

Orzo still isn’t that well used in the UK but it’s a great pasta for a range of dishes, whether it’s to accompany meatballs, soups or for exactly this, a pasta salad. It’s not to be confused with risotto which is rice, Orzo is made with durum wheat semolina and water, but it can be cooked in a similar style to risotto, which makes it great for one pot dishes.

Perfect for a BBQ side dish

This orzo pasta salad recipe can be enjoyed on its own, with meat and fish or even stuffed into peppers.

Orzo Pasta Salad | Sundried tomatoes, mozzarella and olives

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Serves: 6 people as a side | Nutrition: 353 calories per serving

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Ingredients

• Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Fillipo Berio Red Wine Vinegar
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 200g orzo
• 2 shallots, finely sliced
• Handful of sundried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
• 100g Spinach
• 150g Cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsps Black olives, sliced
• 1 ball of Mozzarella (keep the mozzarella water)
• Fresh basil / dried herbs

Instructions

1. Add some Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a pan and on a low heat cook your finely sliced shallots for a couple of minutes. Season with a little salt and some dried herbs if you have them.
2. Add the mozzarella water and bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Then add your orzo and 250ml of boiling water, allow to simmer for 5 minutes, occasionally stirring.
4. After 5 minutes add another 150ml of boiling water and you can add frozen spinach at this point (make sure you have defrosted and squeezed out any excess water).
5. After another 3 minutes, add a final 50-100ml of water to finish cooking your orzo so it’s al dente and has a creamy finish.
6. Turn the heat off, add your olives and sundried tomatoes and leave to cool while you make your dressing.
7. To make the dressing add 2tbsps of Filippo Berio Red Wine Vinegar, the juice of one small lemon and 6 tbsps of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Mix together to create a dressing and drizzle over the orzo, stir to combine.
8. Add your tomatoes.
9. Once cooled, transfer to a serving bowl and place in the fridge for about an hour to allow all the flavours to come together.
10. When you’re ready to serve, add your mozzarella, tear fresh basil over the top, and finish with a drizzle of Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I’d love to see if you recreate this dish so please tag @CookingCarafes and @FilippoBerio and we’ll share them.

This is part of a paid for collaboration with Filippo Berio during the Covid-19 Crisis.  

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