Pasta Salad

Antipasti Orzo Salad

This is a simple and delicious vegetarian dish that is easy to prepare, keeps well in the fridge, and is perfect to bring in your lunch box.

Taste: Simplicity: Cost:

Recipe from BBC Good FoodLink opens in a new window

Tested by Ruyi Wang

Ingredients

• 300g orzo pasta
• 120g sun-dried tomatoes
• 100g canned artichokes
• 80g roasted peppers
• 80g pitted black olives
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 tin of chickpeas (follow the instructions on the can before using them in the recipe)
• 100g grated parmesan
• Finely chopped parsley
• Salt
• Optional: olive oil

Method

1. Cook the orzo in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. You don’t want al dente pasta for this dish: it should be thoroughly cooked, with no firm core. If necessary, cook for a minute or two more.
2. Meanwhile, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and peppers into roughly 1cm pieces and add to a large serving bowl.
3. Roughly chop the olives and capers and add to the bowl, along with the chickpeas and parmesan.
4. Add 4 tablespoons of oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes or artichokes. If you don’t have enough, use some olive oil.
5. Drain the orzo into a sieve and refresh under cold running water, then shake off the excess water. (If not serving immediately, cool the orzo completely.)
6. Add the pasta to the serving bowl and stir to combine, adding a little more oil if you like.
7. Just before serving, stir through the parsley.