Greek Orzo Salad

Liza Lou's Note:

This is a more exciting spin on a side dish I had at a restaurant once. I eat this for lunch all by itself! If you're serving this to a group of people, since everyone likes their salad a little differently, I suggest having a small bowl of crumbled Feta, some lemon juice, and a small bowl of chopped Kalamata olives. That way everyone can change it up and customize it!

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 2.5 cups

• 1 cup dry orzo pasta
• 1 cup roma tomato , finely diced
• 1 cup cucumber , finely diced
• ½ cup kalamata olive , chopped
• ¾ cup red onion , finely chopped
• 1 cup feta cheese , crumbled
• ¼ cup Italian parsley , chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (FRESH!)
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. -Put a large pot on to boil. Once it reaches a boil, salt the water generously.
2. -While you're waiting for the water to boil; chop your vegetables and parsley, crumble your Feta (unless you bought it pre-crumbled, I do), and juice your lemons. (You could also do this beforehand but I'm a huge multitasker).
3. -Boil the orzo for 5-7 minutes, make sure to pay attention to it's doneness because if you overcook it the salad won't have the correct texture.
4. -Once the orzo is soft all the way through, shock it in ice-water, drain and put in a large mixing bowl.
5. -Add the extra virgin olive oil and immediately stir it in well so the orzo doesn't stick to itself.
6. -Add all of the vegetables, feta cheese, lemon juice (sparingly at first, make sure you don't make it too lemony; you can add more later!), parsley and a dash or salt and pepper. Stir well to combine everything evenly.
7. -Put the salad into a sealable container or cover the top of your bowl with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and let sit for at least an hour!
8. -This should stay good for 3-5 days! Enjoy!

Reviews

[AlwaysAl]

Very good! It needed no alterations.

[PaulaG]

This made a delicious side with Easy Lightly Fried Fish - Thyme and Spices - Mediterranean. I did reduce the amount of olives but stayed pretty true to the recipe after that. I made it a couple of hours before serving and allowed it to chill and the flavors blend. Made for *PAC Spring 2009*