Orzo pasta salad

chopping turmericorzo pastasalad

Here’s a pasta salad I just love. I make it for moms with new babies (to go with a bag of marinated steak, and cake), and I always make two batches so we can have some at home. Something about using turmeric to dye the orzo makes it taste more exotic, and the triple salty punch of feta, olives, and capers is divine. You can eat bowls of this, by yourself, for several days.

It doesn’t exactly double well, better to have two separate bowls going as you chop things up.

Orzo and Feta with Lemon-Caper Dressing and Kalamata Olives from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 pound orzo

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup finely minced fresh parsley (this part takes forever but it’s worth it)

1/8 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 cup pitted, roughly chopped Kalamata olives

1 cup crumble feta cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the turmeric, and then add the orzo. Cook according to directions for al dente. Drain the orzo, rinse it in cold water. Set aside.

In a bowl large enough to hold the orzo, make a dressing by blending the olive oil, pepper, salt, parsley, lemon juice, capers, and sugar. Add the cooked orzo to the dressing, and combine. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Carefully toss in the feta cheese, mixing lightly, so the feta stays in nice pieces.

7 Comments

Abbie

August 3, 2015 at 11:50 am Reply

This looks delicious, I think I’ll have to add it to my repertoire.
I always like to hear what other people make for families with new babies. I feel like I’m now firmly ensconced in that period of life, and I’m still perfecting the art of meal-making. I’ve got a couple dishes that seem to go over well, but other people (especially those with babies) always have the best ideas- orzo salad! marinated steak! CAKE! Mmmm.