This Mediterranean style salad was inspired by a recipe I saw on the Kraft website. I have added my own twists (feta instead of cheddar for example), and now it’s one of my favourite go-to salads. Yes, I have reached that stage in life where I have ‘go-to salads’. I also add cucumber and basil which weren’t in the original recipe. I like the crunch of cucumber, and basil is one of my favourite herbs. You could use parsley instead if you prefer, but my husband refers to parsley as “the beige of herbs”. He’s not a fan.

Not only is this recipe pretty quick to knock up and serve as a side dish, or a weekend lunch, but its a great salad to make in a big batch to take to a pot-luck or party. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days so no need to worry about left overs.

It is also eminently customisable. You could add finely sliced chilies for a little heat, or some stoned black olives (though these can be salty so watch the salt levels due to the feta). I don’t like olives or chilies, but if you do, then go for it – it’s your salad.

If you are serving as lunch, especially for a meat eater, add in a little sliced pepperami.

Print

MEDITERRANEAN ORZO SALAD

Plump cherry tomatoes, salty feta cheese and crisp cucumber with orzo pasta in an Italian dressing

COURSE: Salad

CUISINE: Mediterranean

Keyword: Salad

AUTHOR: www.mutherfudger.co.uk

INGREDIENTS

• 170 g Orzo Pasta
• Cherry Tomatoes halved
• ½ Cucumber deseeded and diced
• Fresh Basil finely sliced
• Feta Cheese cubed
• 3 tablespoons Italian Salad Dressing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook your orzo in some boiling salted water, then set aside to cool
2. In a large bowl, add in the halved tomatoes, the basil and cucumber, and finally the feta
3. Add in the cooled pasta, then pour over the Italian salad dressing, toss gently to ensure everything is coated, then chill until you are ready to serve

RECIPE NOTES

For alternatives, add in some olives (halved) or a little finely sliced red chilli pepper. If you want to serve this as a lunch for a meat eater, adding in some sliced pepperami gives a nice twist.