Summertime Orzo Salad

This delicious salad is perfect to serve on a hot summer day. If you are planning an outdoor dinner, pool party or  bbq this is your side dish. It is filling and delicious and can sit out for hours, I do recommend keeping it in the shade.  It will not spoil and everyone will be going back for seconds. A filling salad that includes pasta and fresh ingredients like those found in the garden, arugula, basil and green peppers. 

​Main Ingredients:
1 pound of orzo, cooked, cooled and drizzled with olive oil 
     (This is so the cooled orzo does not clump together)
1 cup of reserved pasta water, cooled
     (Don't skip this!)

Dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Other Main Ingredients:
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 medium sized green pepper finely chopped
1/2 cup of pitted Kalamata olives sliced
2 cans of rinsed and drained chick peas
1 cup of chopped arugula 
1 big handful of basil leaves, ripped or chopped
1 big handful of fresh parsley, chopped
A couple splashes of red wine vinegar
Optional: roasted red peppers diced or halved cherry tomatoes

Steps:
1. Make the dressing - In a large bowl combine the juice of one lemon, the extra virgin olive oil, half of the chilled pasta water and the minced garlic
2. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of himalayan pink salt, freshly ground black pepper. 
3. Whisk all together. 
4. Next, stir in the chilled orzo pasta until incorporated with the dressing. 
5. Add additional chilled pasta water as needed if mixture seems dry. 
6. Start adding in the other ingredients: onion, green pepper, olive slices, chick peas, basil, parsley and arugula. 
7. Add a couple of splashes of red wine vinegar and taste it.  If needed add a little more salt and pepper and another drizzle of olive oil.

Serves 12.  Double all ingredients for a larger crowd but make sure you have a GIANT bowl or two ready!!!
Enjoy!

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