Orzo Salad
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Isn’t it beautiful?
I love all kinds of salads, and this orzo salad was inspired by “I can’t eat another turkey sandwich for lunch.” They just weren’t doing it for me anymore – same thing, different day, ya know what I mean?
A pasta salad is really the perfect lunch – you got your carbs, protein, veggies, and fruit all in one bite! The best part of it all is you can put whatever you want in a pasta salad.
There really is no rhyme or reason why I decided to put chicken, cranberries, red peppers, grape tomatoes, arugula, fresh oregano, fresh basil, goat cheese, a few splashes of red wine vinegar, a drizzle or two of olive oil, and A LOT of cracked black pepper. There is no salt in this here salad.
That’s why I love orzo salads so much. Recipes like my Asparagus & Tomato Pesto Orzo Salad are just as flexible and easy to throw together.
The best advice I can give for making any type of salad is to use FRESH herbs – they make such a difference in taste. Fresh basil and herbs totally transform recipes like my Spinach Feta Orzo.
The oregano and basil with the arugula were a really great combo – can we say Italian?
I brought a bowl of this to lunch with some Trader Joe’s nut mix, and it really hit the spot – filled me right up without weighing me down the rest of the afternoon.
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
- 1 red bell pepper
- 12 grape tomato
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup arugula
- 4-5 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Cracked pepper
- Cook the according to directions on box. Drain and let cool.
- While the orzo is boiling shred chicken (I kept it simple and bought a rotisserie chicken. Feel free to bake or sauté chicken breasts then shred.
- Next, chop up the red pepper, cut tomatoes in half, chop basil and oregano, measure out arugula, cranberries, goat cheese, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.
- Assemble the salad. Add all the prepared ingredients into a bowl, except goat cheese, and mix. Add the goat cheese and gently toss. Enjoy!
This recipe is very flexible – add more of less of your favorite ingredients to your liking. If the salad seems dry, add a tablespoon of oil olive and a few more dashes of red wine vinegar until you get the consistency and taste that you want.
source: www.stuckonsweet.com
I would totally eat this for lunch! This is right up my alley. Your pictures are beautiful too!
Thanks Julia! That natural light really does make a difference. Spring and Summer can’t come soon enough!