Salads

November 6, 2022

Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad

jump to recipe

Want more balance of veggies to pasta?

‍

The addition of the word "vegetable" to this pasta salad gives you an idea of what to expect with this veggie-forward summer salad stunner.

‍

I love pasta salads. But with some, I find myself getting forkfuls of pasta with no hint of veggie or cheese. No crunch to add to the tenderness of a bowtie. Nothing to add interest to the toothiness of a lovely Ditalini. In which case, I’d rather just eat a bowl of hot noodles with olive oil (umm, which is really good). But this recipe embraces the ingredients equally so if you're looking for a pasta salad that has a hearty amount of veggies, PLUS an alternate cheese to feta, (enough with the feta cheese already! Feta can shine in so many other places), give this pasta salad a try and let me know what you think. It's more of a time investement but still fairly easy to make and can be prepared vegan or vegetarian.

‍

**I joke, but to be clear...I will still take large spoonfuls of any pasta salad with heavy throws of feta.

Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad

hearty vegetable pasta salad (i.e. more veg than noodle)

Author:

Amanda Harrell

Prep:

30

min

cook:

25

min

total:

55

min

No items found.

Ingredients

  • One bag of orzo pasta (other small pastas could work too, but the dressing works nicely with orzo)
  • 1 head radicchio
  • 1small bunch broccolini (you can use one small bunch broccoli, but the broccolini is sweeter and a better match to the recipe)
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes (or any tomato with a thinner skin. Grape tomatoes or early girl tomatoes work nicely too)
  • 5 stalks celery
  • 1 orange or yellow bell pepper
  • ¼ red onion (or more if you like to go heavy on the onions)
  • ¼ cup EVOO + 2 TBSP
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 TBSP + 2 TBSP Balsamic vinegar
  • 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
  • Juice of 1 lemon plus a little lemon zest
  • Any Italian-style seasoning (Vinnie the Knuckles from Spice Traveler out of Prescott, Arizona is my go-to. It includes lemon peel which adds some zesty lightness to the flavors)
  • Salt (about ½ tsp) and pepper to taste
  • 1 TBSP mayonnaise (optional)
  • Goat cheese crumbles or fresh mozzarella (optional)

Instructions

  1. Because there are a number of ingredients in this recipe, if room allows, have them all out on your countertop or workspace for easy prep.
  2. Cook the pasta according to directions. I like to cook to the al dente version for a pasta salad that has some firmness to it verses overcooked and gummy. Overcooked pasta = a mushy pasta salad - to be avoided!
  3. Once pasta is cooked, remove from heat, drain, and add back to the pot with a pour of olive oil (about 2 TBSP), and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat pasta and set aside.
  4. While pasta is cooking, prep radicchio and broccolini. Tear any limp outer leaves from head of radicchio. Cut radicchio into rough wedges. It is ok to have some loose leaves and some compact wedges. You should have about 10 chunk wedges of radicchio.
  5. Place radicchio in a baking dish and pour over a drizzle of olive oil plus 2TBSP of the Balsamic vinegar. Roast in oven set at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Wedges should be softer (not firm) when you put a fork through. Once cooked through, set aside to cool.
  6. For broccolini, bring a small pot of salted water to boil while washing and prepping broccolini. Dice stalks and cut broccolini florets roughly (not into as little pieces as the stalks). Add to bowling water and cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once slightly cooked, remove from heat. Briefly run under cold water while draining and set aside.
  7. Prep remaining vegetables. Slice celery into thin slices. Dice bell pepper. Slice onion into thin wedges. Quarter tomatoes. As you prep vegetables, you can add everything to one large bowl.
  8. In a separate large bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients, starting with the red wine vinegar and the mustard, then drizzling in the olive oil, constantly whisking to emulsify. Add in Italian seasoning plus salt and pepper, plus lemon juice. If using mayonnaise, add this ingredient as well and whisk until your dressing is well-blended. Taste and season with more salt or pepper to your preference.
  9. Add all vegetables to dressing, including cooled broccolini and radicchio. Stir to coat with dressing.
  10. Add pasta and stir to coat thoroughly. If more dressing is desired, add in splashes of red wine or balsamic vinegar. Add cheese if using. Cool in fridge until ready to serve.

You might also like

Fancy Grilled Cheese
Vegetarian Irish Dinner
Black Bean Breakfast Bowl

Well hello.

Welcome! I'm Amanda and I'm so glad you're joining me here. Have a look around at some of my hosting tips and favorite recipes.

send me your questsions and requests

Trending

Vegetarian Hoppin' John
Tomatillo Cream Sauce
Fancy Grilled Cheese

Leave a comment

Thanks for contributing to our community! Your comment will appear shortly.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
August 29, 2024
Felix Meyer
Wow, this post has given me useful info and answered some of my questions. I hope to give something back and aid others like you helped me. Feel free to surf my website <a href="https://tomsk.my-choupette.ru/bitrix/redirect.php?goto=http://webemail24.com/your-guide-to-email-marketing">Webemail24</a> about Data Mining.
February 20, 2023
Shelby Adams
This is the best birthday gift, sounds delicious, and I can’t wait to enjoy one with you soon!💖
December 27, 2022
CAROl DH
More tips please - these are SO helpful!
November 27, 2022
Shelby Adams
Kanaya still asks for your black beans and cheesy eggs. They were so delicious!
Recipesaboutcontact
COPYRIGHT © CAFENUIT 2022
•
PHOTOS COURTESY OF
Cafe Nuit & Myleen Hollero Photography
•
TEMPLATE BY
Saevil Row