Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing
Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing is a vibrant dish featuring tender orzo pasta combined with a medley of diced vegetables like artichoke hearts, pimento, red onion, jalapeno, black olives, chickpeas, bell pepper, sun dried tomatoes, and peperoncini peppers. Crumbled feta cheese adds a creamy, tangy touch that complements the bright and smooth creamy lemon dressing made from olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and Dijon mustard. This salad has a refreshing balance of textures and flavors and serves well chilled as a side or light main dish.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb orzo pasta cooked in plenty of salted water until al dente, and briefly rinsed in cold water
- 1/3 cup artichoke hearts canned, drained and diced
- 1/4 cup pimento finely diced or the contents of a small jar
- 1/3 cup red onion diced
- 1/4 cup jalapeno pepper finely diced
- 1/4 cup black olives chopped
- 1/2 cup chickpeas canned
- 1/3 cup yellow bell pepper diced
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes marinated, chopped or thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup peperoncini peppers diced
- 1/2 cup feta cheese diced
creamy lemon dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil (I use this wonderful lemon olive oil)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard creamy
- black pepper to taste
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Put all the cooked pasta in a large bowl. It's ok if it's still warm.
- Add the rest of the salad ingredients to the bowl.
- To make the dressing, put the ingredients in a small bowl or cup and use an immersion blender to blend into a creamy consistency. A wide mouth canning jar works perfectly for this. Taste and adjust if needed. Note: an immersion blender works best when you blend in a jar just a bit larger than the head of the blender.
- Toss the salad with enough dressing to moisten everything, but not drench it.
- Refrigerate the salad until chilled. When ready to serve, toss with more dressing and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
- Use a food chopper or dicer to create evenly sized pieces for a neater salad presentation and easier eating experience.
- Cook orzo pasta until al dente and rinse briefly with cold water to stop cooking and remove excess starch before combining with the other ingredients.
- Adjust dressing ingredients to taste, balancing acidity and sweetness as needed before tossing with the salad.
- Refrigerate the salad after tossing so the flavors meld, then toss again with a bit more dressing just before serving.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 8 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 204
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 204kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 28g | 9% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 8g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 158mg | 7% |
| Potassium | 143mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 222IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 23mg | 26% |
| Calcium | 17mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.