Transport Your Tastebuds to Greece With this Mediterranean Orzo Salad

As July fades into August and our Instagram feeds are flooded with images of our friends exploring European cities, it's only fair to give our tastebuds a break by bringing the Mediterranean into our kitchen.

For #TastyTuesday we're taking you to the Greek islands with this easy and versatile recipe for Greek orzo salad. Packed with juicy tomatoes, onions, olives and citrus dressing, this can be accompanied with any lean protein including fish, tempeh, or chicken.

Enjoy!

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Ingredients:

• ½ (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo pasta

• ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved

• ½ cup diced red onion

• 1 cup diced cucumber

• 1 cup pitted Mediterranean olives, cut in half

• 1 cup finely diced Asiago cheese

For the dressing:

• 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh garlic

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• ½ cup red wine vinegar

• ½ lemon, juiced

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Step 1: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 9 minutes. Drain well. Rinse with cold water and drain well again.

Step 2: Combine orzo, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, olives, and Asiago cheese in a large bowl.

Step 3: Whisk garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl to make the vinaigrette. Drizzle over the orzo mixture and toss lightly to combine. Add basil and parsley and mix well. Let sit for 20 minutes for flavors to blend, stirring occasionally.

The original recipe can be found here.