Italian Orzo Salad
A fresh and flavorful Italian Orzo Salad made with tender orzo pasta, crisp vegetables, mozzarella, salami, fresh herbs, and a zesty homemade Italian dressing. Perfect for cookouts, potlucks, meal prep, or an easy summer side dish.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces orzo regular or gluten-free
- 20 large black pitted olives sliced
- 20 green olives sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ medium English cucumber sliced and quartered
- ½ cup salami cut into 1 inch pieces
- ¼ cup pepperoncini sliced
- ½ cup Zesty Italian Salad Dressing more as needed
- 2-4 tablespoons McCormick Perfect Pinch - Salad Supreme more as needed
Instructions
- Cook Orzo: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 12 ounces orzo according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Combine: Add cooked orzo, black olives, green olives, tomatoes, cucumber, salami, and pepperoncini to a large bowl. Add ½ cup Zesty Italian Salad Dressing and 2 tablespoons of the Salad Supreme seasoning. Toss to combine.
- Taste: option to add another 1-2 tablespoons of the Salad Supreme, as desired (I like add closer to 3-4 tablespoons, but everyone is different).
- Serve: Garnish with fresh parsley and enjoy! If making ahead of time, you will need to add additional Zesty Italian Dressing to freshen up the salad as the pasta will absorb some of the liquid.
Notes
- Amounts: feel free to modify amounts here for the olives, cucumbers, etc. This is a super flexible recipe!
- Zesty Italian Dressing + Salad Supreme: this recipe comes straight from my childhood and this is always what my mom used, so I just didn't want to mess with it here!
- Make Ahead: this is a great make-ahead recipe - just store covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator and then add a little extra dressing before serving as the pasta will soak it up as it sits.
- Gluten-Free: use a gluten-free orzo.
- Protein: Serve with grilled chicken thighs, Blackstone chicken breasts, grilled chicken breasts or Blackstone chicken thighs (grilled salmon or grilled pork chops would also be good here).
- Veggie Side: Grilled broccoli or grilled broccolini would be my top picks!
Nutrition
Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @thewoodenskillet on Instagram!
