Tomato, Basil and Cucumber Orzo Salad Recipe

This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!


Tomato, Basil and Cucumber Orzo Salad



This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! The tomatoes, basil and cucumber combined together adds the perfect taste and texture to the orzo, and the vinaigrette dressing is the perfect finishing touch. Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!



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This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! The tomatoes, basil and cucumber combined together adds the perfect taste and texture to the orzo, and the vinaigrette dressing is the perfect finishing touch. Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!


Have I ever mentioned how much I love salads?? Pretty sure I have since I make them often.

They are one of my favorite side dishes, especially when grilling during the spring and summer. We most recently had this with grilled chicken, kabobs, brats and steak!

This recipe is so light and delicious and pretty too!

It's easy to put together, so fresh from the veggies and basil and super flavorful.

This recipe is the best eaten right after, or within a few hours after you make it, but it also tastes pretty good the next day if you have to make it ahead of time.

I would recommend if you do need it for the next day, you could mix everything together in a bowl except the dressing the night before, and add the dressing right before serving.

Cooking the orzo in the broth is most definitely optional, but it adds an extra depth of flavor to the salad and I think something would be missing if this step was skipped.

I absolutely love the texture of orzo and we use it often in sides at our house. It's wonderful combined with rice, added in soups, or even sprinkled in a spinach salad.

This recipe is SO easy to customize too, check out some of my suggestions below.


This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! The tomatoes, basil and cucumber combined together adds the perfect taste and texture to the orzo, and the vinaigrette dressing is the perfect finishing touch. Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!


What is in Tomato, Basil and Cucumber Orzo Salad?

  • Fresh Basil: Also called sweet basil and is an annual herb in the mint family. It's a great source of vitamin k, vitamin a, magnesium and iron. It has a sweet smell with a peppery taste.
  • Fresh tomatoes: They are technically a fruit since they have seeds, but are prepared or served as a vegetable in savory dishes. They contain lycopene, which has great health benefits, vitamin c, potassium and folate. They are served fresh or cooked and can be roasted, canned, dehydrated or frozen for use later.
  • Orzo Pasta: Also known as risoni, is a pasta shaped like a large grain of rice. Orzo is traditionally made from white flour, but it can also be made of whole grain. The name orzo is common for this pasta in North America, but risoni is most common in Italy. Rinse the orzo only if it will be baked or served cool in a salad. Otherwise, do not rinse as rinsing removes a coating of starch that helps sauces and seasonings cling to the pasta.
  • Vinaigrette: This type of dressing is made by mixing oil with something acidic such as vinegar or lemon juice. The mixture can be enhanced with salt, herbs or spices. It is most commonly used as a salad dressing, but can also be used as a marinade.


This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! The tomatoes, basil and cucumber combined together adds the perfect taste and texture to the orzo, and the vinaigrette dressing is the perfect finishing touch. Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!


Other orzo recipes you may like:



This recipe is ready in these steps:


  • In a medium saucepan, cook the orzo in the broth
  • Drain and rinse with cold water
  • In a bowl, combine ingredients
  • Refrigerate until serving


Full recipe below



This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! The tomatoes, basil and cucumber combined together adds the perfect taste and texture to the orzo, and the vinaigrette dressing is the perfect finishing touch. Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!


You can add or substitute with the following ingredients:



This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! The tomatoes, basil and cucumber combined together adds the perfect taste and texture to the orzo, and the vinaigrette dressing is the perfect finishing touch. Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!


Looking for more summer pasta salad recipes?


This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! The tomatoes, basil and cucumber combined together adds the perfect taste and texture to the orzo, and the vinaigrette dressing is the perfect finishing touch. Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!


Recipes around this time in blog history....


One year ago

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!


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Tomato and Cucumber Orzo Salad

Yield: 8 servings
Author:

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  1. In a medium saucepan, cook the orzo in the broth according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until orzo is cooled completely.
  2. In a bowl, combine orzo, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, vinaigrette, salt and pepper.
  3. Refrigerate until serving. 
Created using The Recipes Generator




This simple spring or summer orzo pasta salad couldn't be any easier! The tomatoes, basil and cucumber combined together adds the perfect taste and texture to the orzo, and the vinaigrette dressing is the perfect finishing touch. Great side for lunch, dinner, any picnic, BBQ or potluck!


Thanks so much for stopping by!

Comments

  1. THANK-YOU for the printable option. Some of us don't do the pin thing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks so delicious, Sheena ! Must get me some Orzo :-) Thank you for sharing at our All My Bloggy Friends Party !

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  3. I love this recipe, Sheena! Orzo is great for light, refreshing salads because it isn't heavy like other pastas are. Pinned to my food board!

    ReplyDelete
  4. This looks so yummy! Thanks for the recipe ;) I featured you on my blog today. My post was all about the best fresh tomato recipes! http://saraella.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love this cold pasta salad! My husband was actually going to make something similar for Mother's Day but my daughter wound up bringing a different side. Ah well, guess I'll just have to make it. Thanks for sharing on Recipe Roundup.

    ReplyDelete

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