Description
This vibrant rainbow pasta salad takes just 20 minutes but looks like you spent all day in the kitchen. Perfect for potlucks or weeknight dinners when you need a colorful side that everyone will rave about.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1½ cups (300g) orzo pasta, uncooked
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup red onion, finely diced
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- ⅔ cup feta cheese, crumbled (about 4 oz)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orzo until al dente (about 7-8 minutes). Drain, rinse with cold water, and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil to prevent sticking.
- While orzo cooks, dice the bell peppers, halve the tomatoes, seed and dice the cucumber, and finely dice the red onion.
- Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, oregano, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add one-third of the dressing to the warm orzo and toss. Let sit for 5 minutes, then add all vegetables, olives, and half of the feta cheese.
- Pour remaining dressing over the salad and fold gently. Add the parsley and mint, giving everything a final gentle toss.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, top with remaining feta cheese, and let rest for 15 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.