| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 20 min |
| Prep: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 20 min |
| Prep: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 pounds orzo pasta
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- Citrus Vinaigrette, recipe follows
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 1/2 medium lemons)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Fill a stockpot 3/4 full with salted water. When water comes to a rolling boil, add orzo. Cook until al dente, or according to package directions.
- Drain orzo and cool on a baking sheet.
- Make the vinaigrette. When orzo is at room temperature, toss with tomatoes and cilantro. Dress with vinaigrette.
- In medium bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, zests, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil until mixture has emulsified. Vinaigrette can be made up to 3 hours ahead, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature and stir before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 583 |
| Total Fat | 42 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 380 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 583 |
| Total Fat | 42 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 380 mg |
Reviews
It was a tasty salad, but the lemon was a bit over powering. I did add some feta and then parsley. Also only used 1/4 C olive oil, otherwise it would be really greasy!
I think the citrus vinaigrette calls for too much oil. The citrus taste was fine, but I couldn’t get past how much oil was in there. And I even made more orzo than the recipe called for!
I love the texture and taste of this pasta salad. Fresh cilantro and yummy tomatos are key ingredients.
Its better the 2nd day, served at room temp, this allows flavors to blend together. Add peeled cucumber (absorbs flavor well) for more crunch and/or yellow or orange sweet pepper for more color, crunch (and taste, as desired). The recipes has many options, including adding grilled veggies of any kind, mmm grilled corn would be great with this salad!
Easy and a tasty alternative to mayo based pasta salads.
I love this recipe! I made it for a summer get together and everyone was asking for the recipe. I did change it a bit, I added cubed fresh mozzarella and used halved cherry tomatoes. I also cook the orzo to very al dente and pour the dressing over the pasta when it is still hot. The orzo absorbs the citrus vinaigrette and its delicious! Definitely a quick and easy side dish for picnics and summer grill outs!
This was a complete failure and I had to throw it out. I thought that next time I might half the dressing, but honestly, it just didn’t have a good taste.
I tried this recipe and found it very good
It just didn’t do anything for me…the flavors never really came together.
for my palate with the combination of lemon and lime in this recipe. The taste was a bit bland and the cilantro got lost in this recipe.