Italian Orzo Salad
This colorful Italian orzo salad recipe is packed with flavor! The simple-to-make homemade Italian dressing smothers fresh basil and vegetables, salami, and olives.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Salad ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked DeLallo orzo
- 1 cup little tomatoes (grape, cherry, etc.) cut in halves
- 3/4 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced salami
- 3 tablespoons chopped red onion
- 1/3 cup chopped pepperoncini peppers
- 1/2 cup DeLallo Castelvetrano olives or black olives, sliced
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons DeLallo pesto
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water and cook the pasta according to package directions. Once it's done, drain it, toss it with a little olive oil (about a teaspoon or so) to stop it from sticking together, and let it fully cool in a colander.
- Meanwhile, add the dressing ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk together.
- Prep the remaining ingredients.
- Add the cooled pasta to a large salad bowl along with the other ingredients. Pour the dressing over and toss until coated. Taste and season with extra salt & pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately or chill, covered, for a couple hours prior to serving.
Notes
- Some of the prep time is counted within the cook time since you can prep while the water is coming to a boil/pasta is cooking.
- The ingredients are very flexible - feel free to sub/omit anything you don't like/don't have on hand. You can eyeball many of the ingredients vs. measuring precisely. If making subs with the dressing, be sure to taste and adjust as you go along.
