This orzo salad with juicy pears, crunchy walnuts, and crumbles of daring gorgonzola cheese is filled with completely different flavors and textures for a simple and scrumptious mild lunch or aspect. Drizzled with tangy balsamic dressing, the sweet-salty-nutty-zesty mixture is significantly gold!
Don’t miss out on my different pasta salads, like this refreshing Apple and Celery Pasta Salad, or make this Spaghetti Salad for a enjoyable twist on a basic. And in your subsequent gathering, the Potluck Pasta Salad is a favorite round right here, combining a wide range of flavors in a single improbable dish.
Final 12 months, I introduced this flavor-filled orzo salad to a Labor Day social gathering, and it was such successful! It was excellent for a late summer time day, with toasted walnuts, a bit of soppy cheese, just a little candy pear, orzo pasta, and a zesty French dressing. My family and friends couldn’t get sufficient of this. It’s like these transitional wardrobes that effortlessly take you from summer time to fall—this salad does the identical in your eating desk!
Recent sufficient for summer time cookouts but filled with hearty components which can be scrumptious year-round, this transitional pasta salad has turn out to be a staple in our household gatherings and potlucks.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Orzo Salad
- Filled with taste. There are all kinds of yummy flavors and textures occurring right here. This salad has tender orzo pasta, crunchy nuts, delicate, pungent cheese, and ripe, juicy pears. The sweet-salty and soft-crunchy distinction is to die for.
- Straightforward to make. Boil the orzo, toast the walnuts, and whisk the dressing, and your salad components are able to go. Toss every little thing collectively and it’s on the desk in minutes.
- Make it your personal. Not a fan of funky gorgonzola? Swap it out in your favourite delicate cheese. No walnuts within the pantry? Toast pecans as an alternative. You’ll be able to even change out the orzo on this salad to a different small pasta, or use grains as an alternative. You’ll discover a great deal of methods to serve it, too!
What Is Orzo?
I’ll admit, at any time when I’ve introduced out orzo at gatherings, there’s a minimum of one visitor who thinks it’s rice! However, orzo isn’t rice. It’s really a short-cut pasta that’s formed rather a lot like rice. Even when orzo is gluten-free, it’s firmly a part of the pasta household.
Orzo pasta is tremendous versatile. I exploit it in rooster orzo soup, casseroles like my one-pot shrimp with orzo, salads, and extra. Heck, I’ll even add it to a frittata. It matches into so many dishes, and it’s even nice by itself. In case you’ve by no means tried it, you’re going to find it irresistible.
Components You’ll Want
One of the best half about this orzo salad is the way it packs in a lot satisfying taste with so few components. Take a look at my notes on what you’ll want beneath.
- Orzo – You’ll discover orzo subsequent to its different members of the family within the pasta aisle. It’s brief and slender, formed like giant grains of rice. An alternative choice is couscous, or precise grains, like pearl barley or farro, which might even be nice on this recipe.
- Pears – I like Anjou or Bosc pears on this salad. They’re each agency and good for slicing. Anjou pairs have a candy citrusy style, whereas Bosc pears are spicier. Use your favourite!
- Walnuts – Toasting the walnuts in a skillet actually brings out their taste. You can too use pecans or almonds.
- Gorgonzola Cheese – Gorgonzola is a kind of tangy Italian blue cheese that provides this orzo salad a full-flavored, pungent kick (see beneath).
- Dressing – All you want is good-quality olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper to make a contemporary French dressing.
What Does Gorgonzola Cheese Style Like?
You’ll normally discover two sorts of gorgonzola in shops. There’s dolce, which is sweeter and creamy, and piccante, which is the agency, crumbly variety that I exploit on this recipe. Piccante gorgonzola has a sharper, saltier taste. If you want to substitute it, I like to recommend French Roquefort or an English Stilton.
After all, if blue cheese isn’t your factor, be happy to substitute the gorgonzola on this salad with goat cheese, feta, or shaved parmesan.
Find out how to Make Orzo Salad
Along with your components gathered, let’s make this orzo salad! You’ll be able to rely the steps on one hand, it’s that straightforward. Comply with alongside beneath, and scroll all the way down to the recipe card for printable directions.
- Cook dinner the orzo. First, you’ll boil the orzo al dente, then drain and rinse the cooked pasta underneath chilly water.
- Toast the nuts. In the meantime, toast the walnuts evenly over medium-high warmth. Stir typically in order that they don’t burn. Take the nuts out of the pan as quickly as they begin to odor aromatic.
- Mix. Now, mix your orzo and toasted walnuts in a bowl. Add diced pears and gorgonzola cheese. Whisk collectively the dressing components and drizzle it over the salad.
- Serve. Give your orzo salad a delicate toss, and revel in! See beneath for tasty serving concepts.
Ideas & Variations
- Don’t overcook the orzo. Cook dinner the Orzo till it’s al-dente, about 9 minutes. Watch out that you just don’t overcook the pasta, because it’ll turn out to be mushy.
- Rinse the pasta with chilly water. Similar to making a pasta salad, you’ll wish to drain after which rinse the cooked orzo underneath chilly water. One, it stops it from overcooking, and two, you need your pasta cool earlier than you toss it with the opposite components.
- Use room-temperature cheese. Take the gorgonzola out of the fridge about half-hour earlier than you want to use it. You’ll get the fullest taste out of cheese that’s at room temperature.
- Add-ins. Customise this orzo salad with extra add-ins like dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, or completely different fruits. Apples would even be nice instead of pears.
- Extra salad concepts. In case you love the mixture of flavors on this orzo salad recipe, you may also like this orzo salad with feta and pomegranate.
Serving Strategies
As a aspect, I serve this orzo salad the identical approach I’d serve a pasta salad. It’s scrumptious subsequent to cookout dishes like corn on the cob, turkey burgers, and grilled rooster skewers. It’s additionally nice by itself as a light-weight lunch. Or, flip your orzo salad right into a meal by including protein, like rooster or steak (steak slices style SO good with the blue cheese!).
Within the fall, the candy and daring flavors on this orzo salad make it the right pairing with roast pork tenderloin, with simpler aspect dishes like garlic steamed broccoli.
Make-Forward and Storage
Leftovers will preserve for 1-2 days within the fridge. After that, I discovered that the pears browned just a little. Retailer this orzo salad in an hermetic container. In case you discover that the orzo has dried out within the fridge, drizzle with olive oil earlier than serving.
Extra Pasta Salad Recipes
Convey 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the Orzo and cook dinner for about 9 minutes or till al dente. Drain and wash underneath chilly water.
Within the meantime, toast the chopped walnuts by tossing them in a skillet over medium-high warmth for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring ceaselessly.
In a medium bowl, mix the cooled orzo pasta, diced pears, toasted walnuts, and Gorgonzola.
In a separate bowl, whisk collectively the additional virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the orzo combination and toss evenly.
Serve instantly or refrigerate till able to serve.
Energy: 379 kcal | Carbohydrates: 51 g | Protein: 12 g | Fats: 14 g | Saturated Fats: 3 g | Ldl cholesterol: 10 mg | Sodium: 201 mg | Potassium: 277 mg | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 6 g | Vitamin A: 110 IU | Vitamin C: 1.9 mg | Calcium: 105 mg | Iron: 1.2 mg
Dietary data is an estimate and offered as courtesy. Values might fluctuate based on the components and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
