Grilled Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad

Grilled vegetables from the farmers' market shine in this vegetarian orzo pasta salad, which is perfect as a side dish or as a meatless main course.

Grilled vegetable orzo pasta salad

This delicious pasta salad consists of grilled vegetables tossed with orzo, fresh tomatoes, basil, vinegar and oil. It's a simple lunch to prepare for the week or to serve as an accompaniment to whatever you're grilling. Some other orzo recipes to try are this orzo with zucchini and tomato and prawn scampi with broccoli orzo.

Is orzo pasta?

Yes! Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that you cook in a saucepan with boiling water. Since we're adding it to a cold salad for this recipe, after draining the orzo, rinse it under cold water.

Orzo salad ingredients:

I used fresh vegetables that I found in this orzo salad at the farmers market, but you can swap any of these out if you can find something that looks delicious in your market.

• Cherry tomatoes
• Red onion
• Yellow pepper
• Red pepper
• zucchini

I grilled all vegetables except for the tomatoes in a grill basket. If you don't have a grill, a grill pan or grill will work great too.

How long does orzo salad last in the refrigerator?

This orzo salad lasts four to five days in the refrigerator and is therefore ideal for preparing meals.

Variations:

• You can replace the orzo with another type of small pasta like elbow, farfalle, or orecchiette.
• Add goat or feta cheese to the salad.
• Swap the zucchini for the yellow pumpkin or the red onion for the shallot.
• Feel free to swap the cherry tomatoes for grape tomatoes.
• Throw in some chopped spinach for extra vegetables.
• If you want more fresh herbs, use parsley or oregano.

More Pasta Salad Recipes You'll Love:

Grilled vegetable orzo pasta salad

267 Cals
6.5 protein
39.5 carbohydrates
9 Fats

Preparation time: 10 min

Cooking time: fifteen min

Total time: 25th min

Grilled vegetables from the farmers' market shine in this orzo pasta salad, perfect as a side dish or meatless main course.

• 1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo pasta, Wheat or gluten free
• 1 Cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• 1 clove minced garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil spray
• 1 small red onion, quartered
• 1 Red pepper, cored and cut into 4 pieces
• 1 yellow pepper, cored and cut into 4 pieces
• 1 large, 10 ounces zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
• kosher salt
• black pepper, taste
• 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 Cup chopped basil

• Cook the orzo in salted water according to the package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water, transfer to a large bowl and mix with tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of oil and garlic.

• In the meantime, spray the onions, peppers and zucchini with olive oil. Season to taste with 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper.

• Grill vegetables on a grill basket over oiled grids, covered (or saute 4 inches from the flame) for 10-12 minutes or until lightly charred and tender, then turn in half.

• Place on a cutting board to cool and cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

• Mix with the remaining olive oil and vinegar and cover with chopped basil.

Portion: 11/3 cups, Calories: 267kcal, Carbohydrates: 39.5G, Protein: 6.5G, Fat: 9G, Saturated fatty acids: 1G, Sodium: 6thmg, Fiber: 4thG, Sugar: 4.5G

Blue Smart Points: 7th

Green Smart Points: 7th

Purple Smart Points: 7th

Keywords: simple summer pasta salad, orzo, vegan pasta salad, vegetarian pasta salad