Summer Orzo Pasta Salad with Feta and Lemon & Herb Dressing
This salad is quick, easy, delicious and loves to travel. What more could you ask for? Perfect for Tailgates, Potlucks, Picnics or whenever you feel like it. This guy loves to be served at room temperature, so no worries about keeping him cold. because that’s when the flavors of the herbs really pop. In fact, I have been known many times to heat this salad and serve as a side dish along with supper. The orzo is bathed in lemon juice and olive oil, and he scent of herbs perfumes the dish and makes it irresistible.
Ingredients
- FOR THE PASTA SALAD
- 1- pound Orzo pasta cooked, drained, rinsed, and tossed with a little olive oil.
- 1-2 cups Feta cheese crumbled with extra for sprinkling on top NOTE: If you aren’t a huge fan of feta, feel free to substitute another cheese. Mozzarella is good because it will soak up the flavors of the dressing, but I wouldn’t turn my back on a Monterrey Jack, Sharp Cheddar, Smoked Gouda, or Provolone)
- 1 ½ cups thinly sliced small sweet peppers
- 1 ½ cups pitted and halved Kalamata or green olives
- ½ cup sliced green onion
- 2 cups frozen peas defrosted
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- FOR GARNISH Optional
- If you're in a garnishing kind of mood I like to used sliced sugar snap peas, chives and chive blossoms, fresh herbs, pepper slices or anything colorful that happens to look complimentary and be hanging around the kitchen.
- FOR THE LEMON HERB VINAIGRETTE
- 3 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped (or pesto works just as well)
- 3 Tablespoons fresh dill chopped (or 1-2 teaspoons dried dill weed)
- 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or to taste (rosemary can be quite strong OR 1 or ½ teaspoon dried or dried& powdered rosemary)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried tarragon)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried thyme)
- 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 2 Tablespoons spicy mustard
- 5 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- FOR THE LEMON HERB DRESSING
- Dressing recipe is adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook
- Combine all of the herbs, garlic, mustard, and lemon juice in a large bowl or food processor.
- Drizzle in olive oil while processing or whisking by hand.
- Stir in the fresh or dried herbs (if you blend them up in a food processor beforehand with the rest of the ingredients, they get all ground up and don’t look particularly appetizing).
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- FOR THE PASTA SALAD
- Cool pasta to room temperature.
- Toss peppers, peas, olives, green onion into pasta.
- Toss dressing into salad right before serving.
- Scatter Feta cheese over the top of the pasta and gently toss in.
- Right before serving, gently toss in the rest of the dressing (the pasta will have a tendency to drink up the dressing so that’s why it’s a good idea to save some for right before you dive in).