| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled, halved and chopped
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound orzo
- 1 bulb fennel, halved and sliced thin
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2 cups baby arugula, chopped
- 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
Instructions
- For the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- For the salad: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until soft and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Add the onions to the dressing and stir to coat.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orzo until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain it well and, while it is still warm, add to the bowl of dressed onions. Stir in the fennel and dried cranberries and allow to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Add the arugula and mozzarella and toss to combine. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Cook’s Note: If serving the next day, a drizzle of olive oil will help to bring this salad back to life.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 459 |
| Total Fat | 20 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 55 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 25 mg |
| Sodium | 355 mg |
Reviews
Absolutely delicious! Perfect blend of flavors. It will now be the dish I bring to friend’s homes!
This is a staple in our home! Everyone loves it and I make it as often as I can. It transports well and is even better the next day! Brava Giada!!
This is so tasty and easy and protein can be added for a main dish. Very versatile and a quick weeknight dish or dish for potluck!
I love pasta and salad, and here is a chance to use fennel. Delicious. I didnt have arugula or cranberries, so I used my bok choy greens, and dried cherries instead. Really this salad is amazing. I am trying not to eat all of it.
I was very nervous about this because of how much apple cider vinegar it called for. But this is SO AMAZING!!! It’s light and I didn’t change a thing in this recipe. I highly recommend this!!
I can’t believe this recipe only has 8 reviews. It is spectacular! I get requests to make this all the time.
I didn’t have the amounts for the dressing but used equal parts vinegar and olive oil. Didn’t like it much. Next day it was really GOOD. Thanks Giada for another great recipe. But next time I’ll use vinegar or try Red Wine vinegar.
I made this for lunch today and it was delicious. The combinat of flavours was so refreshing. I’ll be making this one again.
Delicious! I’ve served this at several parties and always a hit.
I follow the recipe without any modifications and it was GREAT! I loved how there’s so much flavors in this dish! This is very light dish so it was perfect as my side dish or something additional for my lunch. Would definitely make this again.