Caprese Orzo Salad

It is hot and humid right now in Montreal. You know, when you walk outside and it feels like you walked into a pot of soup? Hot and soupy.

So the very last thing I want to do is turn on my oven to make something. While I do have in-window air conditioning units, the kitchen didn’t make the cut. I still turn on my stove but I begrudge every minute that it is on. This one was inspired by Caprese salads. Honestly, the first time I just kind of threw things together on the fly and it turned out great! You will see that I have a tendency to throw things together and then like them so I have to work backwards to remember what I did.

So this cold pasta salad is a great option for packable lunches or to accompany a meal or to serve at a picnic or pool party! It is especially wonderful when the local tomatoes are plentiful and flavorful. I hope you love it too!

Caprese Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of orzo pasta, cooked until al dente

• 4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• 1 container (200g) bocconcini pearls*

• 1 shallot, minced finely

• 2 cups of fresh basil, torn into bite-sized pieces

• Zest of one lemon, optionally but nice

• Salt & pepper

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (or use the juice of the lemon or both!)

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1 tsp dried oregano

Directions:

1) Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add a good pinch of salt, and then add the orzo pasta. Follow the package instructions and cook until al dente. In my case, this took about 8-9 minutes but the best gauge is to taste a piece and see if it is cooked to your liking.

2) While the pasta is cooking, mix the vinegar (or lemon juice), olive oil and oregano. You can do this right in a big mixing bowl so that you can add the rest of the salad ingredients. Wash and halve the tomatoes and add to the bowl. Add the bocconcini pearls and the lemon zest if you are using it. Toss until everything is coated in the dressing.

3) Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and let it sit for a few minutes so that it isn’t screaming hot when you add it to the salad. The orzo might stick together a little. If so, you can drizzle a little olive oil on it or spread it out on a cookie sheet. Toss the pasta with the dressing, tomatoes and cheese. Taste it and add a bit more salt and pepper if needed. Let it sit on the counter until the pasta comes to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Once it is at room temperature, add the torn up basil. Store the salad in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!

*Note: Bocconcini pearls are the tiny ones -I found them in my grocery store near the regular bocconcini. I like the pearls because you get more cheese per bite. But if you don’t find them or don’t want to use tiny, adorable cheese balls, you can use regular bocconcini.