This colorful Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables is perfect when the weather gets hot as a side dish for a barbecue, picnic, party and completely satisfying if served alone.
Orzo is a rice-sized pasta. Sometimes in my pasta salad, I like to use orzo instead of regular pasta because I feel the texture of the vegetables more than the pasta.
This salad is convenient because you can eat it at room temperature or let it rest a few hours in the refrigerator if you prefer it colder.
Occasionally, I also like to add Kalamata olives and Feta to make it more Mediterranean. It is delicious too!
Tip: When I have a bunch of herbs that I want to cut finely, I like to put all the leaves in a glass and cut it with a pair of scissors. Take the glass in one hand and tilt slightly. Start cutting with the scissors and slowly turn the glass while continuing to cut the herbs until they are finely chopped. My mom and dad always used this method and it works great.
Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 to 2 green zucchini diced
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 200 g - 250g orzo (1 cup - 1 ¼ cup)
- a handful of basil
- a handful of flat parsley
- Olive oil
- For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey or agave
- salt pepper
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to the package and let it cool in a salad bowl. Add a little quantity of oil just to avoid orzo pasta sticking together and give it a little toss.
- In a pan (to go faster I use 3 pans) add some olive oil and cook each vegetable separately (eggplant, red bell pepper, zucchini and onion) until they are lightly brown. Salt and pepper each vegetable. When it is done add them to the salad bowl.
- For the dressing combine salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, honey/agave, and add the olive oil. Add the dressing to the salad and mix well.
- Finely cut basil and parsley and add it to the salad.
- You can eat this salad at room temperature or keep it in a fridge a few hours.
Marie-Claire
Done and ….approved by the whole family !!
Well balanced and perfect for evening.Really tasty and easy to make.
Maybe better after 2 hours in the fridge. Will be making again
Francoise
Thank you Marie-Claire. I am glad that you enjoyed this recipe.