Greek Orzo Salad
It’s officially 2019 and that means it’s time to put away all those sweets and fattening foods. It’s time to start eating healthy again, and that means more salads, chicken and fish. I’ve started my year off with several chicken dishes and not nearly the same amount of sweets. I’ve even been eating more salads.
I love a good salad. My first choice is usually Greek and my second is usually Caesar, either with or without chicken. While I usually enjoy my salads with lettuce, I recently started changing things up. I told you I love a good Greek salad; well, mine’s is usually made with tomatoes, cucumbers, purple onions and feta. But this time I added orzo, just enough to make it slightly more filling.
Yes, orzo is a pasta, and it’s definitely more filling, but it’s not nearly as heavy as spaghetti, or penne. See, orzo is made up of itty bitty pieces of pasta, so you can have as little or as much as you want. But the best thing about orzo is because it’s so small, it makes for a great cold pasta salad. It’s for this reason that I’ve started enjoying my Greek Salads with orzo. Adding the orzo makes them the perfect option for lunch or dinner. While I usually enjoy it for lunch, I’ve also served this great salad as a side at dinner. It’s always a hit and I don’t usually have any leftovers. But if I do, I simply put them in a container and save them for lunch the next day. It’s actually for this reason, that I tend to make a double batch… just so I can enjoy this salad for lunch.
How is a pasta salad healthy? Well, unlike most pasta dishes that come with a hearty tomato or cheese sauce, this salad only has a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good tomato or cheese sauce on my pasta, but it’s just too heavy, especially if the pasta is going to be lunch or a side for dinner. The fact that this salad is mostly vegetables and a few ounces of feta for flavor, makes it a nice healthy option any day of the week. An entreé option I plan on making quite a bit over the next few weeks as a healthy start to this brand new year.
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
- 2 ounces feta cheese
- 1/4 cup purple onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Make the orzo according to package directions, drain and put in a large bowl.
- Add the cucumbers, tomatoes and feta to the orzo and set aside.
- Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar in a small bowl, then pour over the salad. Toss to coat and serve.
