ORZO WATERMELON SALAD: Refreshing, fast, and easy!
I’d never heard of Orzo Watermelon Salad until it was mentioned often in a novel I was reading recently. It sounded interesting, so I Googled it. Lo and behold, it was a real thing! I got the gist of what goes in it, then honed the recipe to my liking – the tangy dressing with a slight kick of red pepper flakes was the key.
This salad is very fast and easy to make but, as with most salads, they’re best mixed close to serving time. That being said, it’s still tasty the next day.
ORZO WATERMELON SALAD – makes about 5-6 cups
- 18g / 2 T Balsamic vinegar
- 10g / 1 T granulated sugar
- 68g / about 2 shallots, sliced thinly
- 18g / 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- 27g / 3 T lime juice
- 4g / 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 120g / 3/4 cup / 4 oz uncooked orzo
- about 250g / 8 oz seedless watermelon, cubed bite-sized
- 114g / 4 oz Feta cheese, crumbled into bite-sized pieces
- 50g / 1/2 cup cooked green peas (I use frozen)
- about 65g / 1/2 cup Pistachio nuts
Slice the shallots thinly.
Into a small saucepan combine the Balsamic vinegar, sugar, and shallots. Bring to a boil, turn off burner, then cover pan. Let set, at least, 30 minutes. This can be done ahead of time.
Into a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, Dijon, red pepper flakes, and salt. Set aside until serving time. This can be done ahead of time.
In a saucepan, bring about 3 cups of water to a full boil. Add in the orzo and a tsp of salt. Stir often and cook for 8 minutes. SET THE TIMER! Drain using a sieve, then pour into a mixing bowl to cool.
As orzo is cooling, chop watermelon into bite-sized cubes. Make sure to remove any seeds – they’re not very tasty.
Into the bowl with the cooked orzo, put the cubed watermelon, Feta, and peas. Gently mix and set aside until serving time.
At serving time, stir the dressing well and pour that into the orzo. Add the shallots WITH the liquid into the bowl along with the pistachios. Mix gently. Serve.
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