Lemon Orzo Salad | Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Full of roasted greens, contemporary basil, and mozzarella, and drizzled with a lightweight and contemporary French dressing, this lemon orzo salad is straightforward and scrumptious!

I loooove an excellent summer season salad, and this roasted veggie orzo salad is unbelievable!

The very best half about it’s that it’s tremendous customizable and adaptable to components (particularly the veggies!) you like or occur to have available.

Orzo Salad Substances

Behold the scrumptious parts of this lemon orzo salad:

• orzo pasta
• tomatoes
• contemporary basil
• contemporary mozzarella cheese
• roasted asparagus, zucchini, and shallots
• toasted pine nuts
• lemon French dressing (extra on that in a sec!)

Substitutions for a Nice Salad

And whereas I feel the orzo is fairly crucial for this to be a, effectively, orzo summer season salad, the opposite components could be modified as much as your liking!

You may sub in different veggies, like broccoli or peppers. Swap the contemporary mozzarella out for Parmesan cheese. And possibly use toasted sunflower seeds as a substitute of pine nuts?

I occur to essentially love the lineup on this recipe, however slightly resourcefulness and creativity will work nice with this adaptable salad!

Additionally, can we’ve got a second of silence for HOW GOOD ROASTED SHALLOTS ARE? For those who don’t know, let me inform you: SO GOOD. So, so good.

Easy Lemon French dressing

No matter you do in your artistic swapping and subbing, don’t skip the sunshine and contemporary lemon French dressing!

It makes an in any other case regular orzo salad utterly extraordinary.

The components within the lemon French dressing are simple however the mixed result’s extremely yummy:

• contemporary lemon juice
• olive oil
• a tiny little bit of honey
• garlic, salt and pepper

I pour the dressing over your entire salad and toss. The leftovers are improbable (if there occur to be any!).

For those who’re in search of the proper spring or summer season salad, that is it.

{And in truth, this could simply be a year-round salad due to the simple substitutions.}

This is able to make an ideal providing for any upcoming occasion, potluck, or get-together.

However in case you are a bit peopled out proper now (ahem, me), otherwise you don’t have any huge partying plans, it may simply as simply work for a yummy lunch or easy dinner! Elective however tasty concept: throw some grilled chicken within the combine. YUM!

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Roasted Asparagus Lemon Orzo Salad

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 15 minutes

Complete Time: 1 hr

• 1 cup orzo pasta (about 6-7 ounces/170-200 grams)
• 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, minimize into 2-inch items
• 1 pound zucchini, ends trimmed, minimize into 1-inch items (about 2 small/medium zucchini)
• 2 medium shallots, sliced (or 1/2 cup thinly sliced crimson onion)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup cubed contemporary mozzarella
• ¼ to ½ cup contemporary basil, torn or thinly sliced
• ½ cup toasted pine nuts or sunflower seeds

Dressing:

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup contemporary lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• Pinch salt and pepper, plus extra to style

• Preheat oven to 425 levels F. Place the asparagus, zucchini, and shallots on a half sheet pan, toss with oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Roast within the oven for 10-Quarter-hour till golden and the veggies are crisp-tender (prepare dinner them longer if you would like the greens softer).

• Whereas the greens prepare dinner, convey a medium pot of flippantly salted water to a boil and prepare dinner the orzo pasta till al dente, based on the package deal instructions. Drain and put aside to chill for a couple of minutes.

• For the dressing, mix all of the dressing components and whisk or mix till easy.

• I like to attend till the pasta and roasted greens are at room temperature earlier than assembling the salad, however you’ll be able to assemble it whereas the components are heat.

• To assemble, toss the orzo, roasted greens, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and contemporary basil collectively in a serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing excessive and toss to mix. Prime with pine nuts and serve. The salad could be eaten chilled or at room temperature.

Adaptable: the components for this salad are very adaptable. You may strive utilizing different veggies (broccoli, peppers, and so forth), swapping out the contemporary mozzarella for one more form of cheese, or use toasted sunflower seeds rather than the pine nuts.

Serving: 1 serving, Energy: 321kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 12g, Fats: 18g, Saturated Fats: 4g, Ldl cholesterol: 12mg, Sodium: 129mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g

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Recipe Supply: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (impressed by a recipe in Delicacies at Dwelling)