Risoni (or Orzo), is a fine size pasta is inspired by the shape of rice grains.u003cbr/u003eIt is often added to soups but it’s super versatile. I love the nice texture of it in a salad.

Lemon risoni salad - delicious, quick & easy pasta salad recipe

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Not another boring lettuce salad. Lemon risoni salad is a tasty & zesty orzo side – or make it a meal by adding cooked chicken.

It can be served warm or at room temperature.

Lemon risoni salad topped with feta — Lemon risoni salad

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Ingredients
Instructions
How to cook risoni
Serving
Variations
FAQs
Recipe

Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, fetta and avocado with a simple lemon vinaigrette – that was my standard salad mix for years and years.

I’m not a big salad eater, it was more of a token salad whenever I made it.

I have come a long way since those days and grown to love a lot of the things that I previously disliked.

This easy lemon orzo salad is light and fresh - perfect for summer picnics or as a last-minute side dish in the summer months.

It could be served as a main dish if you added some meat and extra veggies.

Ingredients

This perfect side dish is made using just a few simple ingredients:

Baby spinach - you could also use rocket
Fresh parsley, roughly chopped (or other fresh herbs like fresh dill or fresh basil)
Fresh lemon juice - save the lemon zest to decorate/top the salad. Here's how to juice a lemon without cutting it.
Feta, crumbled - you could also use goat cheese or parmesan cheese
Risoni pasta (orzo)
Extra virgin olive oil
Dijon mustard
White sugar

Instructions

This perfect summer side dish is simple to whip up.

Step one of risoni salad - cook the risoni

Step 1

Cook the risoni according to the packet directions. Orzo cooks a little faster than regular pasta but the process is the same.

Making risoni salad - mixing in the herbs and spinach

Step 2

Step 2Place the cooked orzo in a large mixing bowl and mix through the spinach leaves and chopped parsley.

I also added a little extra oil at this stage to stop the risoni all sticking together.

Whisking the dressing for lemon risoni salad

Step 3

Whisk up the oil, lemon juice, mustard and sugar.

Stir the dressing through the risoni.

Serving the risoni salad and topping with feta

Step 4

The final step is to place the risoni on a serving platter and sprinkle the salty feta cheese over the top to serve.

How to cook risoni

In case your packet was missing instructions, here's how to cook risoni:

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and add salt to taste. We recommend 1 litre for every 100g of pasta.
Add the small pasta to boiling water. Stir occasionally.
Cook for the length of time indicated on the pack.
Remove from heat. Drain well.

Serving

I cooked the risoni the day before (& stored in an airtight container) for my salad and served it cold.

It could be served hot if you prefer.

Variations

If you wanted to jazz it up a little, you could add:

Toasted pine nuts and black pepper
Sliced red onion & red bell pepper (capsicum in Australia)
Juicy tomatoes and fresh basil
Crunchy cucumber and sliced preserved lemons

FAQs

What is risoni?

Risoni (or Orzo), is a fine size pasta is inspired by the shape of rice grains.
It is often added to soups but it’s super versatile. I love the nice texture of it in a salad.

Where to find risoni?

Find is in the pasta aisle at the supermarket/grocery store.

How to tell when risoni is cooked

Test for doneness just like with regular pasta – taste it for an al dente texture.
Bite through a piece. If it is the same colour through it’s done.
If there’s still a little white in the middle, cook for another minute and test again.

Enjoy!

Recipe