This orzo salad simply felt like summer! Refreshing, light, and flavorful, it makes for the perfect side dish to any lunch or dinner! I used one package of orzo and it made a generous amount, leaving us with leftovers which is always a win.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of delallo orzo pasta

• 4 quarts of water

• 1 cucumber

• 2 packs of cherry tomatoes

• 1 red onion

• fresh basil

• feta cheese

For The Dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 1/2 Tbsp honey

• 1 tsp minced garlic

• 1 Tbsp italian seasoning

• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add 2 Tbsp sea salt and package of orzo. Cook orzo for 12 minutes [or follow package instructions]. Once cooked, drain and rinse orzo with cold water to cool it off. Place in large bowl with a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.

2. Cut cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion and place in bowl.

3. For the basil - stack leaves on top of each other, roll them up, and cut into thin strips [aka chiffonade technique]

4. Next, prepare the dressing. Whisk all dressing ingredients together. Always make sure to try your dressing before you coat the orzo to see if you want to alter measurements or add anything!

5. Pour dressing into bowl with all of the ingredients and toss to combine. You can also add feta at this point or wait until serving!

6. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for future meals! [It may dry out in the fridge, so you can always prep extra dressing to put on top when serving!]