Try this super easy, super tasty and super fast pasta salad. An excellent choice on hot days when you don’t want to heat the kitchen up and want something refreshing to eat.
1 box orzo pasta (1 lb)
1 small bunch (or approx 1 cup) fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 11-16 oz container cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup of your favorite cheese (we used Queso Fresco, diced small then crumbled)
1 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
- Cook orzo pasta al dente according to directions on the box. Drain and cool. Set aside.
- Combine remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Add pasta to mixed ingredients and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Serve immediately for best flavor. Or, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours and serve.
Options:
Make it a meal and add sliced or cubed cooked steak or chicken. Make it vegetarian and add diced zucchini, diced cucumbers, garbanzo beans or white beans. Squeeze a lemon over the salad for an extra zing.
Cheese: use feta, blue cheese, parmesan or any other shredded/diced/crumbled cheese that you like!
The amounts in the recipe are for nutrition analysis purposes. However, the great thing about is that you can add as little or as much as you prefer. If you do not want to measure ingredients, you can purchase them in these sizes and use the entire container/package.
Source: Hillary’s family recipes