This orzo salad with juicy pears, crunchy walnuts, and crumbles of daring gorgonzola cheese is full of totally different flavors and textures for a simple and scrumptious gentle lunch or aspect. Drizzled with tangy balsamic dressing, the sweet-salty-nutty-zesty mixture is critically 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 traditional. 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 celebration, and it was such successful! It was excellent for a late summer season day, with toasted walnuts, a bit of sentimental cheese, a bit of 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 season to fall—this salad does the identical in your eating desk!
Recent sufficient for summer season cookouts but full of hearty substances which are scrumptious year-round, this transitional pasta salad has grow to be a staple in our household gatherings and potlucks.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe for Orzo Salad
- Stuffed with taste. There are all kinds of yummy flavors and textures occurring right here. This salad has tender orzo pasta, crunchy nuts, gentle, 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 substances are able to go. Toss all the things collectively and it’s on the desk in minutes.
- Make it your individual. 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 may 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, every time I’ve introduced out orzo at gatherings, there’s at the least one visitor who thinks it’s rice! However, orzo isn’t rice. It’s truly 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 take advantage of 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 suits into so many dishes, and it’s even nice by itself. Should you’ve by no means tried it, you’re going to adore it.
Elements 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 substances. Try my notes on what you’ll want under.
- Orzo – You’ll discover orzo subsequent to its different members of the family within the pasta aisle. It’s brief and slim, formed like massive 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 too can use pecans or almonds.
- Gorgonzola Cheese – Gorgonzola is a kind of tangy Italian blue cheese that offers this orzo salad a full-flavored, pungent kick (see under).
- 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 type that I take advantage of on this recipe. Piccante gorgonzola has a sharper, saltier taste. If you’ll want to substitute it, I like to recommend French Roquefort or an English Stilton.
After all, if blue cheese isn’t your factor, be at liberty to substitute the gorgonzola on this salad with goat cheese, feta, or shaved parmesan.
The right way to Make Orzo Salad
Together with your substances gathered, let’s make this orzo salad! You may rely the steps on one hand, it’s that simple. Observe alongside under, and scroll right 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 flippantly over medium-high warmth. Stir usually in order that they don’t burn. Take the nuts out of the pan as quickly as they begin to scent aromatic.
- Mix. Now, mix your orzo and toasted walnuts in a bowl. Add diced pears and gorgonzola cheese. Whisk collectively the dressing substances and drizzle it over the salad.
- Serve. Give your orzo salad a mild toss, and revel in! See under for tasty serving concepts.
Suggestions & Variations
- Don’t overcook the orzo. Cook dinner the Orzo till it’s al-dente, about 9 minutes. Watch out that you simply don’t overcook the pasta, because it’ll grow to be mushy.
- Rinse the pasta with chilly water. Similar to making a pasta salad, you’ll need 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 substances.
- Use room-temperature cheese. Take the gorgonzola out of the fridge about half-hour earlier than you’ll 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 totally different fruits. Apples would even be nice instead of pears.
- Extra salad concepts. Should you love the mix of flavors on this orzo salad recipe, you may additionally like this orzo salad with feta and pomegranate.
Serving Ideas
As a aspect, I serve this orzo salad the identical means 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 lightweight 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 proper pairing with roast pork tenderloin, with simpler aspect dishes like garlic steamed broccoli.
Make-Forward and Storage
Leftovers will hold for 1-2 days within the fridge. After that, I discovered that the pears browned a bit of. Retailer this orzo salad in an hermetic container. Should you discover that the orzo has dried out within the fridge, drizzle with olive oil earlier than serving.
Extra Pasta Salad Recipes
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Convey 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the Orzo and prepare dinner for about 9 minutes or till al dente. Drain and wash underneath chilly water.
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Within the meantime, toast the chopped walnuts by tossing them in a skillet over medium-high warmth for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring continuously.
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In a medium bowl, mix the cooled orzo pasta, diced pears, toasted walnuts, and Gorgonzola.
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In a separate bowl, whisk collectively the additional virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
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Pour the dressing over the orzo combination and toss flippantly.
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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 differ in response to the substances and instruments used. Please use your most well-liked dietary calculator for extra detailed data.
