Tender orzo with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, herbs and feta, brightened by a lemon-olive oil dressing.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - Orzo — 1 cup
02 - Salt — for boiling water, to taste
→ Vegetables & Herbs
03 - Cucumber, peeled or unpeeled and diced — 1 large
04 - Red onion, finely chopped — 1/2 small
05 - Cherry tomatoes, halved — 1 cup
06 - Fresh parsley, chopped — 1/4 cup
07 - Fresh mint, chopped (optional) — 2 tablespoons
→ Cheese
08 - Feta cheese, crumbled — 3/4 cup
→ Lemon Dressing
09 - Extra virgin olive oil — 1/4 cup
10 - Lemon zest — zest of 1 lemon
11 - Fresh lemon juice — 3 tablespoons (about 1 1/2 lemons)
12 - Garlic, finely minced — 1 clove
13 - Honey or maple syrup — 1 teaspoon
14 - Dried oregano — 1/2 teaspoon
15 - Freshly ground black pepper — to taste
16 - Salt — to taste
# How To Make:
01 - Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8–10 minutes. Drain and immediately rinse under cold running water to halt cooking and cool the grains.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, minced garlic, honey, dried oregano, black pepper and salt until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning.
03 - Dice the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop the red onion and coarsely chop the parsley and mint. Transfer the vegetables and herbs to a large mixing bowl.
04 - Add the cooled orzo to the bowl with the vegetables and gently toss to distribute evenly.
05 - Pour the lemon dressing over the orzo mixture and toss thoroughly so the dressing coats all components.
06 - Gently fold in the crumbled feta to retain texture. Chill in the refrigerator for 15–30 minutes to allow flavors to meld, or serve immediately. Garnish with additional parsley or feta if desired.
