This Italian Orzo Salad is one of my favorite salad recipes. It is clever because the orzo cooking water slightly cooks the salad veggies when it is poured over them in a strainer. This is really good if, like me, you don’t like completely raw ingredients in your salad.
Start by preparing the veggies. Cook the orzo in a large saucepan. Drain the orzo over the veggies in a strainer to slightly cook them. Rinse the contents of the strainer and drain. Place all the ingredients in a big bowl once drained. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well before serving.
To make my version of Italian Orzo Salad, you will need the following ingredients:
Wash and slice 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of basil, 2 cups of mushrooms and chop 3 ounces of sun-dried tomatoes. Place these ingredients in the bottom of a pasta strainer.
Cook 16 ounces of orzo by following the package directions.
Drain the orzo by pouring the whole contents of the pot over the veggies in the bottom of the pasta strainer. This will slightly cook them.
Rinse the contents of the strainer and drain. Once drained, place in a large salad bowl. Chill.
Add 1½ cups of chickpeas, ¼ cup of veggie broth or a drizzle of oil and 1 teaspoon each of lemon pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Season to taste with sea salt and mix well.
Pack in jars and serve at your next picnic.
This Italian Orzo Salad is a fantastic accompaniment for your next picnic! Try it out soon and don’t forget to tag #CookMeRecipes if you try this recipe.
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