My daughter and I have been meal prepping for the last couple of weeks. We have been having so much fun making these easy meal preps that I decided I needed to share! Currently, I am doing a series of recipes for meal prep ideas. This Summer Orzo Salad is the first of four recipes I will be sharing! I originally found this salad in Taste of Home magazine, but I could not find it anywhere on line to share. But if you are looking for easy/tasty recipes Taste of Home is a good place to start!
Side Dish? Why yes, this can be a side dish too!
Although this is part of a meal prepping series, the first time I made this Summer Orzo Salad was to use as a side dish with a beef filet. It was a light and easy alternative to mashed potatoes or creamed corn. It wasn’t until after trying it for the first time that I thought it would be a great meal prep recipe. It makes approximately 12 generous servings.
Add Your Favorite Protein
I served this with a beef filet from Omaha Steaks and it blended very well. In fact, I could have sliced the left over filet and served it over the Orzo Summer Salad. But for our meal prep we used organic Italian breaded chicken strips. Once they were cooked and cooled we cut them up into bite size pieces and placed them over the salad. It was the perfect lunch! Feel free to use any protein that suits your tastes. You can use chopped cooked chicken, beef cubes or sliced steaks or do what we did and bake up some organic chicken fingers and slice them up before putting them on top! Delicious no matter how you slice it!
Summer Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz Package of Orzo Pasta
- 1/4 cup Water
- 2 cups Fresh or frozen Corn Kernels *you can also used cans of corn, drained
- 36 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups Feta Cheese *have some to sprinkle on top too!
- 5-6 mini Mini Cucumbers, chopped *no seeding required!
- 1/2 medium Red Onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup Fresh Mint only, chopped *optional
- 1/2 cup Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup Lemon Juice Concentrate *I used fresh lemons and juiced them
- 2 tbsp Fresh Lemon Zest
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1 cup Toasted Sliced Almonds *I have also used toasted pine nuts, and I like them better!
- Protein of your choice should you decide to use as a meal prep recipe.
Instructions
- Cook orzo according to the package directions. Drain orzo, and rinse well with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- Slice tomoatoes, chop mint, onion and cucumbers. Set Aside.
- In a large skillet heat 1/4 cup of water over medium heat. Add corn and cook until tender. Some crispness is ok. But do not burn. Approximately 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Combine all ingredients in bowl with orzo. Including Feta cheese and sliced almonds. Mix until ingredients are evenly distributed thoughout.
- In a small bowl whisk oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt/pepper until blended. Pour over orzo mixture and toss to evenly coat. I served this both warm and cold. And it was deliscious both ways. If you decide to serve cold, place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes with a cover. Then enjoy!
Conclusion
No matter how you decide to serve this Summer Orzo Salad, it will definitely be a hit! Bring it to your next barbecue to share or make it a go to meal prep recipe! It will surely be enjoyed by all! CLICK HERE to see the second recipe of my meal prep series, Shrimp Burrito Bowls!
Products I love!
I cook exclusively with Omaha Steaks! Omaha Steaks has been around for 5 generations and family owned! They only provide the best meats and seafood at a great price! Order via Amazon!
I just purchased these adorable mixing bowls! I love them! So cute and excellent as serving dishes! Purchase them HERE from Amazon!
Furthermore, I cannot say enough about my pots and pans! I love them, and they are so pretty! Another fabulous purchase form Amazon!
More importantly, thank you for spending your time here at Colorado Kelly! I love having you here and appreciate everyone that comes to visit and look forward to having you come back soon!
*This post may contain affiliate links! That means; I may get a commission at no additional cost to you! I do not recommend any products/services that I don’t use and love myself!
Taco Cornbread Casserole
Beth
I love all the flavors here. This is the perfect side. It works with beef, chicken, or pork.
Kelly
It does work with any protein!
Stephanie
Yum! Orzo is my favorite so this is so perfect for my family.
Kelly
I’m glad!!!
MELANIE EDJOURIAN
That is such a good idea. I’ve not had orzo in a salad. I would love to try it myself.
Kelly
I hope you do try it!
May
I’m not sure we have Omaha steaks around here, but I’ll go see at the aisles for international products.
Kelly
It is a mail order company. There are a couple stores, but we have it shipped directly to the house!
Bryan
This would go well with any meat, like you say. And all by itself, it would be good as a food option for vegetarians.
Kelly
Great idea! I had not thought of that!
Alita Pacio
I love that this can be a side dish too. I also love those pans and pots you recommended.
Kelly
Those pans have been an exceptional buy!
Tweenselmom
I love exploring my salad options. This looks hearty and yummy, will definitely try! 🙂
Kelly
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
jennifer schreiner
Yes. Bring on summer. This is a recipe I can get behind. Looks incredible and is easy to make.
Kelly
It is very easy to make! And thank you!
Neely Moldovan
Wow this sounds so good for summer! We are always trying to find things to mix it up!
Kelly
Thank you!
Brooke
This recipe is delicious! Perfect with chicken.
Kelly
Thank you!
Fransic verso
I don’t eat a lot of Salad but this one look so good. I will try it and see how it will taste. Thank you for sharing!
Kelly
You’re welcome!
Rosey
Orzo and Feta in the same recipe? Oh, sign me up for this one!
Kelly
Exactly!!!
Ntensibe Edgar
Wow….I just might make this salad, this weekend. I’ve got all the ingredients I need here. Thanks for sharing about it, Kelly!
Kelly
I hope you do!