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Italian orzo salad in a bowl with Italian dressing, parmesan cheese and chopped herbs on the side.
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Italian Orzo Salad with Tangy Italian Dressing

This Italian Orzo Salad with homemade Italian dressing is packed with tomatoes, parmesan cheese, peperoncini, salami, roasted red peppers and castelvetrano olives. 
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian-American
Keyword Italian, orzo salad, pasta, salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 255kcal
Author Leanne

Ingredients

For the dressing:

  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning see notes
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the salad:

  • 1 cup dry orzo pasta
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
  • 1 cup castelvetrano olives pitted and halved
  • 1 cup chopped roasted red peppers see notes
  • 1/2 cup chopped genoa salami
  • 1/2 cup chopped peperoncini peppers
  • 1/2 cup shaved or grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 medium sized red onion diced
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley for topping

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
  • Cook the pasta according to package instructions. (I prefer to cook it al dente so it doesn't get mushy in the salad). Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
  • In a large bowl, add the pasta and other salad ingredients (except parsley). Pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
  • Cover and chill in the fridge for a few hours. Stir in remaining dressing and top with chopped fresh parsley before serving.

Notes

  1. The Italian seasoning I use is a mix of just herbs and does not include any salt, sugar, garlic powder or other spices.
  2. I used store-bought roasted red peppers (that come in a jar) but you can also roast your own. You can also substitute with some raw chopped red bell pepper.
  3. Be sure to chop the ingredients into bite-sized pieces so it's in proportion to the smaller size of the orzo pasta.
  4. Rinse the orzo with cold water after cooking it. This will not only cool it down but help prevent it from getting clumpy.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 937mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 498IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 1mg