Looking for a delicious Orzo Pasta Salad recipe to make for your next barbecue or picnic? My pasta salad has pepperoni, homegrown tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and mozzarella cheese all tossed in a delicious herb sauce. This recipe comes together in under a half hour, and can be made the day before.
When I think of picnics and barbecues I think of pasta salads and potato salads. Something about the quintessential side dish that gets me every time. I’ve made my tried and true pasta salad year after year. When I want to spice things up I’ll make this Orzo Pasta Salad.
This Orzo Antipasto Salad is loaded full of fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, olives, cucumbers and pepperoni! I also love pasta salads because you can make them ahead of time and nine times out of ten they only get better over time. For this pasta salad, I used Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs paste which made a pesto like taste throughout the pasta salad! This truly tastes like eating a plate of antipasto but in the pasta salad form. This salad pairs beautifully with everything from burgers to pulled pork.
Table of contents
Ingredients
- Orzo – One box of orzo will feed a crowd!
- Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs Paste – This paste is the base to the dressing you will make. If you can’t find it I give tips below on how to make a similar paste of your own.
- Olive Oil – A robust olive oil brings the herb paste to life.
- Vegetables – I like to add cucumber, tomatoes, and olives to my orzo salad.
- Pepperoni – I use large pepperoni that I’ll chop into bite-size pieces.
- Mozzarella – I prefer to use the mozzarella pearls for this recipe. A half package is about all you need.
Directions
Boil a pot of water for the pasta. Add the 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and cook orzo according to box instruction (about 12 minutes or until soft).
Drain the orzo in a colander and run under cool water until the pasta is at room temperature. Place pasta in a large container.
In a glass bowl add the Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs Paste, water, and olive oil.
Whisk until smooth. Pour the Italian herb dressing over the cooked orzo.
Next mix in the tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumbers, olives, and pepperoni slices. Mix well until everything is incorporated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
FAQs
Here are all the frequently asked questions readers have asked when making my Orzo Antipasto Salad recipe.
This recipe makes a lot and will easily feed 12 people if not more!
Whenever you cook any pasta you need to rinse the pasta. When making pasta salad it’s always a good idea to run it through cold water for about a minute to chill the pasta so you can mix in all the other ingredients.
It depends on how you want to eat your orzo. You can serve it hot or cold. I love to serve it hot like an adult macaroni and cheese or you can serve it cold as a pasta salad.
Your orzo is mushy because you have over cooked your orzo. A box of orzo typically takes about 10 minutes to cook in boiling water. I start to test the orzo by scooping a tiny spoonful out of the pot at the 7-8 minute mark.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks I’ve learned when making an easy orzo salad for a crowd.
- Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs Paste – This can be found in the produce section. You will need one whole tube for this recipe. If you can’t find that I suggest you place ½ cup fresh parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, and dill in a food processor with ¼ cup oil and puree until a thick paste forms.
- Pepperoni – You can use large pepperoni that you chop or the small tiny circle pepperoni that do not need chopping.
- Tomatoes and Olives – If you find the tomatoes to be too large you can chop them in half.
- Leftovers – Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Orzo Recipes
Love orzo? Try these other orzo recipes…
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Orzo Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Stove Top
- Refrigerator
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon salt for water
- 16 oz Box of Orzo Pasta
- ¼ cup Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs Paste
- ¼ cup Water
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- 10 oz Grape or Cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup Cucumber diced
- ½ cup mini mozzarella
- ½ cup Green Olives
- 25 slices Pepperoni chopped
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water for the pasta. Add the 1 tablespoon of salt to the water and cook orzo according to box instruction (about 12 minutes or until soft).
- Drain the orzo in a colander and run under cool water until the pasta is at room temperature. Place pasta in a large container.
- In a glass bowl add the Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs Paste, water, and olive oil. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour the Italian herb dressing over the cooked orzo.
- Next mix in the tomatoes, mozzarella, cucumbers, olives, and pepperoni slices. Mix well until everything is incorporated.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Gourmet Garden Italian Herbs Paste – This can be found in the produce section. You will need one whole tube for this recipe. If you can’t find that I suggest you place ½ cup fresh parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, and dill in a food processor with ¼ cup oil and puree until a thick paste forms.
- Pepperoni – You can use large peproni that you chop or the small tiny circle pepperoni that do not need chopping.
- Tomatoes and Olives – If you find the tomatoes to be too large you can chop them in half.
- Leftovers – Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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Nutmeg Nanny
Delicious! I love antipasto salad, this recipe sounds perfect 🙂
Kim Beaulieu
I love this recipe. It’s so wonderful. Orzo is fabulous and I love the flavours in this. The cheese just takes if over the top.
Katie
Thanks Kim–I agree I love the little bites of mozzarella!
Suzanne
This looks so good! I bet it would taste great with some black olives and a salty type of cheese too, like feta.
Katie
Suzanne, I think a variety of chopped olives would be great!
Cathy Pollak ~ Noble Pig
I have been dying to try those Gourmet Garden herbs! What a beautiful salad.