Orzo Pasta Salad | Diethood

This orzo pasta salad with feta cheese, juicy pomegranates, dried cranberries, and a sweet-tangy French dressing is the most effective mixture! It makes a simple, festive facet dish any time of the 12 months.

I really like tender orzo in heat recipes, from orzo pilaf to rooster orzo. And it’s simply as scrumptious in chilly dishes, like my salad with orzo and feta and this contemporary and zesty orzo pasta salad!

Are you prepared for my newest winter salad obsession? It’s a contemporary, zesty orzo pasta salad with feta cheese, bejeweled with ruby pink pomegranate seeds and dried cranberries. Mainly, it has all of the festive colours and flavors I really like in a single bowl, tossed with a zesty French dressing dressing. I say it is a winter salad, however actually, it’s simply as scrumptious year-round and you may simply adapt it with seasonal elements.

Causes to Love This Orzo Pasta Salad

Candy, salty, tangy distinction. This orzo salad recipe has all of it. There’s tender orzo pasta and crumbly, salty feta cheese contrasted with candy cranberry and pomegranate. It’s completely mouthwatering, and the elements are simple to search out.
Fast. The longest step is ready for the orzo to prepare dinner! I often get the pasta boiling whereas I seed the pomegranate (don’t fear, I’ll stroll you thru how to try this, too).
Versatile. The pliability of this salad recipe makes it excellent for a potluck, vacation, or flavorful weekday lunch.

Orzo pasta salad ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

What You’ll Want

I gown this salad with a zesty, tangy cranberry and pomegranate French dressing. After all, you’ll be able to simply swap in your favourite dressing, or strive any of my simple selfmade salad dressings for those who’d like one thing completely different. For now, I’ll cowl the elements within the salad and dressing beneath.

Scroll right down to the printable recipe card for the complete quantities and particulars, plus step-by-step directions with images.

Orzo – You’ll want cooked orzo pasta (sure, orzo is pasta, not rice!). You’ll discover it in most grocery retailer aisles alongside different short-cut pasta shapes.
Feta Cheese – In my Macedonian household, we measure white cheese, aka feta, with our hearts. You should utilize roughly relying on what yours tells you. In case you don’t have feta, goat cheese, shaved parmesan, or gorgonzola, like in my orzo salad, it additionally works properly on this recipe.
Pomegranate – You should purchase the seeds often called arils already eliminated or purchase a complete pomegranate and seed it your self, see beneath.
Dried Cranberries – Rather than cranberries, you might use dried cherries and even chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds for additional texture.
Parsley – Recent is finest for garnish. Be happy to substitute one other herb, like basil, mint, or thyme.

For the Dressing

Olive Oil – You’ll wish to use high-quality additional virgin olive oil. Avocado oil is an efficient substitute if wanted.
Cranberry and Pomegranate Juice – Select your favourite manufacturers from the shop.
Vinegar – I exploit pink wine vinegar, however it’s also possible to use white wine vinegar, balsamic, or lemon juice.

Close up of a partially deseeded pomegranate on a sheet of brown parchment paper.

Learn how to Seed a Pomegranate (Simply)

A fast on-line search will present you dozens of the way to open up and seed a pomegranate. I’ve used the identical methodology for years and it hasn’t failed me but! Right here’s how I get the seeds out of pomegranate in 5 steps, with minimal clean-up:

Trim off the highest and backside utilizing a pointy paring knife.
Rating the pomegranate alongside its ridges.
Gently pry the pomegranate aside alongside the rating marks utilizing each palms.
Submerge the segments in a bowl of water and use your palms to launch the seeds (the seeds ought to sink to the underside).
Scoop out any pithy membrane bits from the bowl, then pressure the seeds.

Wooden spoon stirring through orzo salad with pomegranate arils and cheese.

Orzo Salad Variations

Totally different pasta. As a substitute of orzo, you need to use any short-cut pasta you’d like. Good decisions for pasta salad are small shells, elbow macaroni, penne, fusilli, and bowtie pasta.
Veggies. Add blanched or steamed broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, celery, or spring onions.
Protein. Add cubed or sliced cooked rooster, whether or not it’s leftover baked rooster or an air fryer rotisserie rooster. It’s also possible to prime this salad with steak bites, salmon, or any protein you’d like.
Extra add-ons. Different tasty add-ins that might go well with this salad embody chopped apples, diced avocado, cooked crumbled bacon, crushed nuts, pepitas, and sunflower seeds.

Overhead view of orzo pasta salad in a large scalloped salad bowl with a wooden spoon, surrounded by small bowls of ingredients.

Serving Recommendations

This sweet-savory orzo pasta salad is scrumptious as a facet dish or appetizer salad. I really like making this each time I’m internet hosting a vacation or big day, like our Macedonian Identify Days (a good greater deal than a birthday!). In that case, the entire household comes over to feast on sheet pan salmon, spinach pie, and cabbage rolls, a.ok.a. sarma.

On every other event, I’ll serve this salad as a facet to a festive pork roast or an informal yard barbecue of child again ribs and grilled corn on the cob in the summertime. It’s tremendous versatile.

Orzo salad served on a salad plate with a fork set on the plate, next to the orzo.

Learn how to Retailer

Retailer this pasta salad in an hermetic container within the fridge and luxuriate in leftovers for as much as 2 days. I discover it tastes even higher as soon as the flavors have had an opportunity to mingle!

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Prepare dinner the orzo. Boil the orzo pasta in line with the instructions on the field. Take away from warmth; drain and rinse with chilly water. Put aside to chill.
Assemble the salad. In a big serving bowl or salad bowl, mix the cooled orzo, feta cheese, pomegranates, and cranberries. Put aside.
Make the dressing. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk collectively the olive oil, cranberry juice, pomegranate juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper; whisk till completely integrated. Style and modify accordingly.
Mix. Add as a lot dressing as you wish to the ready orzo salad. Refrigerate any remaining salad dressing. Toss the pasta salad, cowl, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Serve. Garnish with contemporary parsley and luxuriate in!

Dietary data is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might range in line with the elements and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed data.

Learn how to Make Orzo Pasta Salad

This pasta salad with orzo comes collectively in about 25 minutes for those who embody the time it takes to boil the orzo. Right here’s how you can make it:

Cooked and drained orzo pasta in a black colander. — Prepare dinner and drain the orzo.

Overhead view of orzo pasta salad ingredients combined in a scalloped bowl. — Prepare dinner and drain the orzo.

Prepare dinner the orzo. First, boil the orzo following the instructions on the field, then instantly drain and rinse the pasta beneath chilly water. This stops it from overcooking.
Assemble the salad. Subsequent, mix the orzo, feta, and the remainder of the salad elements in a bowl.

Pouring vinaigrette dressing from a mason jar over orzo pasta salad ingredients in a bowl. — Add the dressing.

Using two spoons to combine orzo, pomegranate arils, cheese, and herbs in a bowl. — Add the dressing.

Add the dressing. Whisk the dressing collectively individually, and pour it over the salad to style. Afterward, toss all the pieces to coat.
Chill. Lastly, refrigerate the orzo pasta salad for at the very least 20 minutes earlier than garnishing with parsley and serving.