Orzo Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese and Fresh Veggies – This orzo pasta salad with feta cheese and fresh vegetables is a delicious yet simple, easy, and amazing salad that can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. A perfect side for barbecue’s, summer parties, or family meals that everyone will enjoy. I mean who can pass up a bowl of veggies, cheese, and noodles tossed together?

When it comes to cooking I’m always looking for ways to incorporate new dishes, side dishes and desserts. This recipe specifically is a side dish to take to a barbecue or to make for a lunch, dinner, or even a friendly house party/gathering. Today, I will be sharing with you one of my favorite side dishes that not only tastes delicious but is also super simple to make.

 

I discovered this Orzo Pasta Salad on a sunny Saturday at a family members baby shower. This baby shower had a table full of delicious foods, but this side dish stuck out the out to me – Orzo Pasta Salad. My first bite into this pasta was amazing. It was being served at a perfect temperature which is also very important when serving and making food. One week later, I called my friend to ask her for the recipe, she laughed saying that this recipe was was of the easiest dishes she’s ever made. I tried making it and it came out great but I thought to myself how would this dish taste with feta cheese? So there I went making this dish again, but this time adding some of my favorite vegetables to it such as cucumbers, olives, and of course I had to add some feta cheese. There are many orzo pasta salads recipes that include spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro and lime, and even be similar to mines, but adding a twist to this recipe with my favorite vegetables is what makes it different! Salads are great side dish to have with meals that come off the grill, but pasta salads are even better! With pasta salads they can be prepared ahead of time or even the day before an event. If you do choose to prepare this salad the day before, I recommend adding the basil and crumbled feta cheese, right before serving this dish.  

Why Pasta?

Pasta is such a comforting dish that can be prepared in many ways. One of my go to quick and easy meals include pasta. I love cooking pasta because pasta is one dish that you can get creative with when cooking it by adding a variety of ingredients such as vegetables, proteins, and cheese. Like other pastas orzo pasta can be cooked cold, hot, and baked. Past a has become one of the most convenient dishes to cook when it come to lunch or dinner. Every person has their own version of a pasta dish whether it is cold, hot, or baked.  

Pasta can be found all over the world in places like Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia. In America, most of the pasta dishes made are most similar to the ones prepared in Italy. The most common pasta that comes to mind when someone mentions the word pasta is “Spaghetti and Meatballs”. Pasta is made from a couple of ingredients such as eggs, water, and flour that is formed into different shapes and sizes. Some pastas are even flavored with vegetables like spinach, tomatoes, and even chocolate flavored pasta. Although, pasta is thought of as a culturally Italian food, but some believe that pasta originates from china because of the Asian noodles. With the affordability and versatility pasta has become deeply rooted in the Italian culture. With the warm climate in Italy growing vegetables and herbs in Italy was easy which allowed Italians to get creative and come up with delicious pasta recipes. Today, pasta is cooked by boiling the dough first, followed by adding in sauces and other ingredients.

What is Orzo?

For some like myself I had never heard of Orzo pasta until I ate it at a party. Many counties have their own unique foods that they are known for. In Greece, orzo is very popular pasta. The word “orzo” means “barley” in Italian. Although, this little pasta looks like a grain of rice it’s not. Orzo is made from a course-ground flour called semolina. Orzo pasta looks just like rice but cooks way faster than it takes to cook rice.

There are many benefits when consuming Orzo pasta. Orzo pasta is made from white flour but there are whole-wheat orzo pasta options to purchase. This small pasta is a good source of carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. Of course when choosing the whole-wheat orzo the nutritional sources increase. In orzo you can find found nutritional benefits per serving which can also help boost your energy levels. You can increase the amount of protein in your diet by eating more of this small pasta and pairing it with other sources of protein such as salmon, shrimp or chicken. Orzo is also a good low-fat pasta option with only one gram of fat per serving. Like any other pasta orzo is a bare waiting to be dressed. Orzo pasta can be served as simple as adding butter and garlic to it to adding seafood and vegetables in it.

Fresh Veggies make everything better!

I love going to different farmer’s markets to pick up the vegetables for this dish. Not only to support local agriculture, but because vegetables from farmers markets don’t contain toxic chemicals that can cause harm to the body. Rather they provide a higher level of antioxidants that are good for our bodies. In today’s society farming has become a capitalist job. You don’t hear about the appreciation for farming like I did back when I was growing up. Today, farming is viewed as a “slave” job but there is so much more to this job than we think. Being a farmer you are able to help others with their health by providing them with fresh foods as well as helping yourself by eating fresh foods. Farmers are able to provide a variety of fruits and vegetables for others to consume. Farmers are able to provide safe foods rather than foods that are preserved and sealed in bags.

Today, everyone is into “convenient things” which is understandable because of daily schedules and what not. But when you look into the benefits when buying fresh fruits and vegetables from a local farmer or farmers market the list can go on and on. Vegetables from farmers markets have a different taste and are bright making the dish look even more delicious to eat. The vegetables I purchase from the farmer’s markets are always at reasonable prices from local farmers. It a great idea to locate your local farmers markets before going shopping for you fresh vegetables.

For this specific orzo pasta salad I use a couple of fresh vegetables and herbs. Tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, basil, and olives are the vegetables I mix together to create this delicious side dish. All of the vegetables in this pasta salad have different benefits for the body.  Tomatoes are known as a good source vitamin C. There are known to be over 3,000 different types of tomatoes. These tomatoes are also known to including reduced risk of cancer and heart disease.  Red Onion can help lower triglycerides and lower your blood sugar. They can also help regulate your blood sugar levels. Cucumbers are a vegetable that is high in nutrients. Cucumber have Protein, vitamin C and vitamin K as well as other nutrients that are beneficial for the body. Basil, a herb using in any dishes. Basil is considered to be one of the healthiest herbs providing vitamin A. Having a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat but rich antioxidants, Black Olives are my favorite! All the vegetable in this pasta dish all have benefits that are paired together creating a masterpiece.

Let’s get to cookin’

PREP TIME:	DIFFICULTY:	SERVINGS:
45 Minutes or less	Easy	12 – 15 Servings

Ingredients needed:

1- Orzo Pasta 16oz. Box (I use the Barilla brand)

1 whole Purple onion, chopped

1 ½ cups of Feta cheese, crumbled

1 cup Tomatoes, diced up

¼ cup Fresh Basil, chopped fine

2 whole Cucumbers, diced

Balsamic Dressing  

Salt And Pepper, to taste

1 Medium saucepan

2 large bowls

Cutting board

Sharp knife (makes things easier)

2 mixing utensils

Directions:

Begin by cooking the Orzo:

• In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.

• Add the orzo to the water

• Cooking according to package directions. Make sure to stir it frequently, until soft but still firm to the bite, about 7-9  minutes. Be sure not to over cook your pasta. This will mess up the entire dish, because no one likes mushy pasta!

• Drain the orzo and transfer into a large bowl.

• Set aside in large bowl to cool completely.

When I make pasta dishes I like to make sure you get some ingredients in every bite, especially the cheese! You can always adjust the ingredients to your liking by adding more or less of an ingredient.

Preparing the vegetables:

• Get 1 large mixing bowl to add all the vegetables in.

• Chop 1 whole red onion into small pieces, add in large mixing bowl and set aside. 

• Slice 1 cup of  Tomatoes in diced up, add to large bowl of vegetables.

• Chop ¼ cup Fresh Basil, add to large bowl of vegetables.

• Dice 2 whole Cucumbers, add to large bowl of vegetables.

 

Preparing the Salad:

1. In the large bowl of vegetables, mix together all the vegetables together. Set aside.

2. Get the large bowl of orzo pasta and add balsamic dressing, salt, and pepper to taste. I prefer using salt and pepper grinders to get more flavor from the two seasonings. Gently mix together the orzo and dressing until well combined. Set aside.

3. Get the bowl of mixed vegetables and add to the bowl of the orzo and dressing. Gently mix together until well combined.

4. Once ready to serve add feta cheese to the pasta. Gently mix together until well combined.

5. Serve pasta salad chilled or at room temperature!

If you want to get a little creative with this orzo pasta salad and make it into a all in one meal, just chopped some chicken up and add it in for a delicious dinner that is quick easy. This dish makes my mouth happy but most importantly it reminds me of a special day with my friends. The day I discovered this side dish I was celebrating a new life that would soon be entering this place we call our world. This dish is something special to me and because of that I will forever remember that day. With all the fresh ingredients that were used to make such a delicious side dish that are paired together wonderfully, I hope this dish become one of your favorites as well.

Simple, easy, and full of delicious flavors! Enjoy!

 

References

Bruso, J. (2018). Are Purple Onions Good for You?. [online] LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved

March 9, 2018, from https://www.livestrong.com/article/493475-are-purple-onions-good-for-you/

Healthyeating.sfgate.com. (2018). Are Black Olives Healthy?. Retrieved March 9, 2018,

fromhttp://healthyeating.sfgate.com/black-olives-healthy-3698.html Accessed 10 Mar. 2018.

History of Tomatoes. (n.d.). Retrieved March 09, 2018, from

http://www.vegetablefacts.net/vegetable-history/history-of-tomatoes/

Mercola.com. (2018). What is Basil Good For? – Mercola.com. Retrieved March 9, 2018, from

https://foodfacts.mercola.com/basil.html Accessed 10 Mar. 2018.

Oulton, Randal. “Orzo Pasta.” CooksInfo.com. Published 07 October 2003; revised 06 March

2013. Web. Retrieved from. http://www.cooksinfo.com/orzo.

Vegetablefacts.net. (2018). Cucumber History – Origin and History of Cucumbers. Retrieved

March 9, 2018, from http://www.vegetablefacts.net/vegetable-history/history-of-cucumbers/Accessed 10 Mar. 2018.