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Chilled Italian Orzo Salad

February 5, 2022
by
The crispy crunchy flavor packed orzo salad with just about every Italian ingredient under the sun: I can seriously eat this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad any day of the week!
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The crispy crunchy flavor packed orzo salad with just about every Italian ingredient under the sun: I can seriously eat this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad any day of the week!

Jump to Recipe

Recently I’ve been in such a lunch slump. I mean, there are only so many days in a row that you can eat leftovers from Monday night’s dinner… ya know? Still, I’m not a fan of spending my entire Sunday meal prepping various meals to try and last throughout the week — nobody’s got time for that. Instead, I’ve been looking for simple, nutritious recipes that I can prepare in bulk and then jazz up throughout the week with various proteins. This Chilled Italian Orzo Salad is the absolutely perfect example. With the orzo and crisp lettuce, there’s no need to wait until the last minute to toss in the dressing… aka lunch is ready to go the second you pull it out of the fridge. Plus, packed with carbs, cheese, meat, veggies, and SO MUCH flavor, there’s not much more you could ask for in a good lunch. Whether you’re in the same lunch slump boat as me, or just are in need of a good new orzo recipe, you have to try this one!!

The crispy crunchy flavor packed orzo salad with just about every Italian ingredient under the sun: I can seriously eat this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad any day of the week!

the breakdown…

This Chilled Italian Orzo Salad is honestly super simple. Although there are a fair amount of mix-ins, it’s super customizable and really just involves throwing whatever ingredients you love into a giant bowl with a delicious vinaigrette. Speaking of which, I always love to prepare the vinaigrette at the beginning. By mixing your dressing together at the bottom of your large bowl, you are a) using less dishes, and b) preventing the dressing from flying all over the house. If you are preparing a salad ahead of time that has a more “wilt-able” lettuce base, I wouldn’t do this. But, for this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad, I love this strategy. 

So, as for what’s in the actual vinaigrette, it’s pretty basic Italian ingredients. You’ve got olive oil and water as a base all mixed up with both red and white wine vinegars. You could substitute the white wine vinegar with all red, if you would like, but, given that I always have both on hand, I love the tart and sweet flavors mixed together. Then, with some spicy dijon mustard and some sweet honey, the balanced situation really continues. Lastly, I like to mix in so much oregano, sumac, garlic, salt, and pepper for tons of flavor. You really can’t beat this one!

The crispy crunchy flavor packed orzo salad with just about every Italian ingredient under the sun: I can seriously eat this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad any day of the week!

the mix-ins…

With that vinaigrette all ready to go, it’s time to mix in the bulk of the salad. For the bases, I go with iceberg, endives, and spinach. While it may seem like a lot, I love the crunchiness from the iceberg, bitterness from the endive, and leafiness from the spinach. It’s the perfect balance, if you ask me. Then I go in with the orzo. The orzo is really vital to this dish. Bulking it up so it’s more than just a lettuce-based salad, but also bringing in the texture to round out this dish. You could substitute the orzo for pearled couscous, acini de pepe, or another small noodle. I wouldn’t go with a grain, though, as that could lead to a strange texture. Really, you’ve just gotta get that pasta in there somehow!!

Now that the base of this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad is all squared away, it’s time to go in with all the fun ingredients. First and foremost: the salami. Honestly, I don’t eat salami that often, but, in my mind, you just CAN’T have those Italian flavors without it!! I mean, what’s an Italian sub without the meat??? I like to go with a block of spicy Italian salami for this recipe and dice it up finely. You could also go with another meat of a similar variety. Really, you just want to make sure you’re buying your meat in a block, as opposed to pre sliced. Nobody wants flimsy cold-cuts in their salad!!!

so much flavor…

Next up, mix in all the good briny flavors. I’m talking both marinated artichokes AND castelvetrano olives. I love a good artichoke — especially when it’s marinated in a bunch of good Italian seasonings. Most artichokes that come in jars are marinated, whereas cans of artichokes are usually plain… so try and find a jar if you can! And, as for the olives, just about any variety will work. I specify the use of castelvetrano olives for this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad recipe, just because they are my favorite. Really, though, you can use any type of green olive, or even kalamata. Just make sure they are pitted!

The crispy crunchy flavor packed orzo salad with just about every Italian ingredient under the sun: I can seriously eat this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad any day of the week!

Next up, mix in the mozzarella cheese, fresh dill, and cherry tomatoes. Mozzarella is my favorite cheese to use here, as it really ties together the whole Italian theme pretty well. That being said, cubed provolone or crumbled feta would also be delicious. You could even do a mix of two or three! The more cheese the better, if you ask me. Likewise, the dill is also interchangeable. I love the flavors of dill with just about any orzo dish, even if it isn’t traditional for an Italian style salad. Still, you could totally go in with fresh parsley, chives, or even mint. Go with what you love! Don’t skip the cherry tomatoes though… they are too good!!

how to serve it up…

Top this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad with some toasted pine nuts and get to eating! This dish is truly one of my favs because of just how versatile it is. Omit whatever ingredients you don’t love, and mix in any other favs you have on hand! Cucumbers, beets, scallions, avocados, red onion, and pepperoncinis would all be delicious thrown in this one. Either way, I love to serve this up for an easy weeknight dinner or make a big batch for meal prep throughout the week. You could easily omit the salami and make this vegetarian and simply serve this up as a vegetarian main on its own. Or, you could even go on the completely other side of the spectrum and double up on the proteins! I love serving this with chicken, salmon, or even some thinly sliced steak. It’s even great as an addition to a full on Italian dinner party spread!

I hope you love this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below:))

Chilled Italian Orzo Salad
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Chilled Italian Orzo Salad

Recipe by Annie PatrickCourse: Main Course, Side dishCuisine: Italian, AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking timeminutes
Total time

20

minutes

The crispy crunchy flavor packed orzo salad with just about every Italian ingredient under the sun: I can seriously eat this Chilled Italian Orzo Salad any day of the week!

Ingredients

  • italian vinaigrette:

  • ⅓ cup olive oil

  • ⅓ cup water

  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar

  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar (or an additional tbsp red wine vinegar)

  • 1 tsp honey

  • 1 tsp dijon mustard

  • 2 tsp dried oregano

  • 1 tsp sumac

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced

  • Salt and pepper, to taste

  • salad:

  • 1 small head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)

  • 2 endives, thinly sliced

  • 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

  • 1 cup orzo, prepared according to package

  • 1 cup thick cut spicy salami, finely diced

  • 12 oz marinated artichokes, drained and roughly chopped

  • 1 cup castelvetrano olives roughly chopped

  • ½ cup fresh dill, finely diced

  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella, finely cubed

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted

Instructions

  • In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk all of the italian vinaigrette ingredients until combined.
  • Toss the remaining salad ingredients into the dressing and mix very well. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

  • Omit whatever ingredients you don’t love, and mix in any other favs you have on hand! Cucumbers, beets, scallions, avocados, red onion, and pepperoncinis would all be delicious.
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