Grilled vegetables from the farmers’ market shine in this vegetarian orzo pasta salad, perfect as a side dish or as a meatless main course.
Grilled vegetable orzo pasta salad
This delicious pasta salad consists of grilled vegetables tossed with orzo, fresh tomatoes, basil, vinegar and oil. It’s a simple lunch to prepare for the week or to serve as an accompaniment to anything you grill. Some other orzo recipes to try are this orzo with zucchini and tomato and prawn scampi with broccoli orzo.
Is barley pasta?
Yes! Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that you cook in a saucepan with boiling water. Since we’re adding it to a cold salad for this recipe, after draining the orzo, rinse it under cold water.
Orzo salad ingredients:
I used fresh vegetables that I found in this orzo salad at the farmers market, but you can swap any of these out if you can find something that looks delicious in your market.
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- Yellow pepper
- Red pepper
- zucchini
I grilled all vegetables except for the tomatoes in a grill basket. If you don’t have a grill, a grill pan or grill will work great too.
How long does orzo salad last in the refrigerator?
This orzo salad lasts four to five days in the refrigerator and is therefore ideal for preparing meals.
Variations:
- You can replace the orzo with another type of small pasta such as elbow, farfalle, or orecchiette.
- Add goat or feta cheese to the salad.
- Swap the zucchini for the yellow pumpkin or the red onion for the shallot.
- Feel free to swap the cherry tomatoes for grape tomatoes.
- Throw in some chopped spinach for extra vegetables.
- If you want more fresh herbs, use parsley or oregano.
More Pasta Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
Grilled vegetable orzo pasta salad
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: fifteen min
Total time: 25th min
Grilled vegetables from the farmer’s market shine in this orzo pasta salad, perfect as a side dish or meatless main course.
- 1 1/4 cups uncooked barley noodles, Wheat or gluten free
- 1 Cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove minced garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil spray
- 1 small red onion, quartered
- 1 Red pepper, cored and cut into 4 pieces
- 1 yellow pepper, cored and cut into 4 pieces
- 1 large, 10 ounces zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
- kosher salt
- black pepper, taste
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- 3rd tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 Cup chopped basil
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Cook the orzo in salted water according to the instructions in the package. Drain and rinse under cold water, transfer to a large bowl and mix with tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of oil and garlic.
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In the meantime, spray the onions, peppers and zucchini with olive oil. Season to taste with 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.
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Grill vegetables on a grill basket over oiled grids, covered (or saute 4 inches from the flame) for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly charred and tender.
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Place on a cutting board to cool and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
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Mix with the remaining olive oil and vinegar and top with chopped basil.
Portion: 11/3 cups, Calories: 267kcal, Carbohydrates: 39.5G, Protein: 6.5G, Fat: 9G, Saturated fatty acids: 1G, Sodium: 6thmg, Fiber: 4thG, Sugar: 4.5G
Blue Smart Points: 7th
Green Smart Points: 7th
Purple Smart Points: 7th
Keywords: simple summer pasta salad, orzo, vegan pasta salad, vegetarian pasta salad
