Vegetables the color of the rainbow with orzo and tossed in a light citrus vinaigrette dressing!
With a summer full of cookouts and barbecues, we have been surrounded by grilled meats, fresh fruits, and a variety of salads. Recently, my kids and I were shopping in the food store for an upcoming barbecue and we were wide-eyed at the display of chopped salads! There were so many to choose from we didn’t know where to start! We were in the mood for spicy, no maybe we were craving cheesy, on second thought how about fruity? Might as well get them all!
The salads come in a mix of chopped veggies with unique dressings and crunchy chips or nuts! We were getting ready for our barbecue and these salads were perfect but we needed something more! Hmm, a pasta dish! How about one that is chopped salad inspired and uses veggies the color of the rainbow! Awesome idea!
We had all the colors of the rainbow on hand to be chopped except blue! What type of vegetable is blue and compliments the other colors, orzo, and a citrus vinaigrette? We couldn’t find one, so we added in a handful of sweetness with farm fresh blueberries.
This Rainbow Orzo Salad was so fun to create, delicious to eat and served a crowd! It was such a big hit that it was requested at our next barbecue! Tasty and good for you!
- 1 lb box orzo cooked al dente according to package
- 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped baby carrots
- 1 cup chopped yellow pepper
- 1 cup chopped scallions
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 cup chopped purple cabbage
- Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup rice or white wine vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste
- In a large bowl place cooked pasta.
- Chop all vegetables into bite sized pieces.
- Toss vegetables and blueberries in with pasta.
- In a small bowl combine dressing ingredients, stir well.
- Add to pasta, mix well, serve warm or cold!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
