Ingredients:

1 lb. orzo pasta,
1 romaine lettuce heart,
1/4 cup chopped purple onion,
3 ripe tomatoes, diced,
10 green olives, pitted and sliced,
1/4 cup sunflower oil or light olive oil,
1/2 cucumber, diced,
1/2 lemon, juiced,
2 tablespoons light mayo,
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled,
salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe:

1. Boil the orzo pasta according to package instructions, strain it, spread it thinly in a hotel pan or a tray and mix it with the oil. Let it cool down and then refridgerate for at least 30 minutes for the orzo to get cold. The oil serves two purposes – it’s part of the dressing, and it prevents the orzo from sticking together.

2. Cut the other ingredients and mix everything together with the cold orzo.

I love the texture of the orzo pasta salad compared to say penne, macaroni or fusilli pasta salad. It’s also more compact and presentable.

Cooking tip: You can give the orzo pasta some extra flavor by putting a few cubes of vegetable stock in the boiling water.