Pasta Salad

Kumquat the Cat's friend's Note:

Not your typical pasta salad; it's better:D I got it from a coworker and I tweaked it at home. It came out so well I thought I would post it. Its popularity at work was due to adding dressing sparingly. Start with a quarter cup, then taste and adjust if you think it's necessary. I've included instructions for a low-fat Italian dressing that I made with an envelope of Good Seasons Italian dressing mix. If you're not concerned about your fat intake, you can follow package directions (or use your favorite Italian dressing). I was able to make this in 20 minutes by cutting veggies while orzo was cooking and served it as a one dish meal. A good pot luck dish too (can be doubled easily).

• Total Time: 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 cup orzo pasta
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato, cut into strips (not packed in oil)
• 1 yellow bell peppers (capsicum) or 1 orange bell pepper, cut into strips (capsicum)
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 15 kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley or 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 ounces feta or 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
• 1 (2/3 ounce) package good seasons Italian salad dressing mix
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar (I like to use a bit more vinegar and reduce water accordingly)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil or 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup water, plus
• 3 tablespoons water

Directions:

1. Cook orzo in 2 quarts water for 8-10 minutes or according to package directions and drain.
2. Add other ingredients up to Italian dressing mix and toss gently with a large spoon.
3. Combine the vinegar with 3 tablespoons water. Add Italian dressing mix and shake well. Add oil and rest of water and shake well. Measure out a quarter cup, pour over salad and toss gently.
4. Taste and add more dressing (a little at a time) if desired. Can be served immediately, at room temperature or chilled.

Reviews

[karenfar]

I brought this to our ladies bunko night and it was a big hit! I used 3/4 cup of dressing. I did not rinse the pasta and, of course, it got sticky. I mixed 1/4 cup of the dressing into the pasta and mixed it in to loosen it up - worked great and the pasta absorbed the dressing. It sat while I prepped all the veggies. A repeater!

[Ginny Sue]

This was a very good salad packed with all kinds of wonderful flavors and colors. I especially liked the instructions for the dressing; it was just the right touch. I made a few minor tweaks to the ingredients, using roasted red pepper instead of sun-dried tomato, and using green bell pepper instead of yellow or orange. I also left out the onions. This was very good, leftovers were great the next day for lunch, too.

[maggiemaye]

This salad was outstanding! All the ingredients blended together for a wonderful flavor. I added fresh mozzarella and used black olives instead of kalamata. And I couldn't find any tomatoes not packed in oil. So I rinsed them first before adding them to the salad. I also used 3/4 of the dressing then chilled the salad and added the rest of the dressing the next day before serving. My shower guests loved it. I will definitely make this recipe again!