Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
This Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad is a colorful confetti of fresh veggies tossed together with orzo pasta in a flavorful sun dried tomato dressing. It's vibrant, full of texture, and delicious!
Ingredients
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
- 1 cup dried orzo pasta
- 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 oz. pine nuts, roughly 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, julienned and packed in oil
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes
- 3 Persian cucumbers
- 1/4 of a red onion
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, cilantro, or a mixture of both, finely chopped
- 3 oz. feta cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
Sun Dried Tomato Dressing
- 2 large lemons, zest and juice
- 1/4 cup reserved sun dried tomato oil, can supplement with EVOO
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Cook the Pasta, Chickpeas and Pine Nuts
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt liberally. Cook the orzo according to the package instructions, drain, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.*
- Preheat your oven to 375°. Drain the chickpeas and pat dry. On a sheet tray, toss with extra virgin olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste. Roast for 10-15 min. They should be golden brown on the outside and still soft in the middle. Set aside to cool.
- Toast the pine nuts dry and on a separate sheet tray for 3-5 minutes, checking every minute after the three minute mark to ensure they don't burn. Set aside to cool.
Prep the Veggies
- Halve the cherry tomatoes and slice the cucumbers into rings. Dice the onion as small as you can manage and finely chop the fresh herbs.
- Measure out your sun dried tomatoes and reserve the oil that they were packed in for the dressing. If the sun dried tomatoes were packed whole, slice them into thin strips.
- Crumble the feta cheese and set aside.
Sun Dried Tomato Dressing
- Zest and juice the lemons and add to a blender. Add the reserved sun dried tomato oil. If you don't have enough for the full 1/4 cup, add in a little regular extra virgin olive oil to make up the difference.
- Add in mayo, garlic clove, sun dried tomato pieces, and salt & pepper to taste. Blend until smooth.
Toss and Serve
- Toss the cooled orzo and chickpeas with the prepped veggies, herbs and feta cheese, reserving some of each to add at the end. Toss the pasta salad with the Sun Dried Tomato Dressing, top with the reserved veggies, herbs, and feta, and enjoy!
Equipment
- 1 Blender, or mini food processor/ immersion blender
Notes
*You normally would never want to rinse the starch off when making pasta, but it's okay to break this rule for a cold pasta salad.