Ahhh…the dog days of summer. I was holed up in my house, hiding from the heat and completely uninspired to anything for the last day of the Fourth of July weekend, when my sister, Alex, texted me (and by extension, my family) an invite to come over to her house to watch the final game of the Women’s World Cup. All I needed to bring was hot dogs. Umm…excuse me? No. That just won’t do. I felt like the occasion called for something a little more festive. Something worthy of serving while we cheered our fellow Americans onto victory. And so, I whipped up this little dish…Orzo Pasta Salad.

Basic Ingredients

Orzo pasta
Kalamata olives
Feta
Tomatoes

Orzo Pasta Salad is summery, bright, and light…that is what I would describe this perfect side salad. It has the classic Mediterranean flavors of kalamata olives…

basil…

feta…

and tomatoes…

Serving Suggestions

I whipped this up in about 30 minutes. Assemble the ingredients, and let sit in the fridge for an hour or so to meld the flavors together. It’s the perfect summer side salad. You can even make it a main dish with some sliced barbecue chicken breast served over the top.

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Orzo Pasta Salad

A bright, light pasta salad studded with feta cheese, spinach, toasted pine nuts, basil, tomatoes, and kalamata olives and drizzled with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: servings

Author: Four to Cook For

Equipment

4-quart sauce pan
5-quart colander

Ingredients

1 pound orzo pasta, cooked one box
2 cups spinach leaves, sliced into strips
1 cup basil leaves, sliced into strips
1 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled or diced
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1 tbsp honey
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Using a 4-quart sauce pan, cook the orzo as directed on package.
When finished cooking, drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Toast pine nuts in oven (about 5 minutes...watch carefully) and let cool.
When items are cool, combine all into a large bowl and chill for about an hour in the fridge before serving.

Notes

I toasted the pine nuts in a toaster oven, but you can also toast them on a skillet (no oil), or in a regular oven at 400 degrees. Be sure to watch...they toast up quickly.
I used crumbled feta, but you may want to use a brick of feta chopped up into cubes. I would recommend this if you really love feta and want a bite-sized piece.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or tag @fourtocookfor and hashtag #fourtocookfor on Instagram.

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