Description
There are so many shapes of pasta out there. One of my favorites is orzo: rice-shaped pasta. I do not see it used as often as its more popular relatives like spaghetti, penne, linguine et al, which is a shame. I love the fact that orzo can be treated like rice and used to make tomato-based (jollof) or stir-fried dishes. It can be creamy like a risotto or made like rice and served with a stew or sauce. Here I use it to make a cold salad with shrimp and sweet cherry tomatoes. Use a lot of garden-fresh herbs to elevate this salad and feel free to add more vegetables if you want.
Ingredients
- 12 large shrimp – peeled, deveined, and tails left on
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose seasoning blend
- ½ cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch salt and ground white pepper to taste
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add shrimp and seasoning; cook until shrimp are bright pink on the outside and meat is opaque
- about 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from the water and set aside in a bowl.
- Pour orzo into the seasoned water and bring to a boil. Cook
- stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite
- about 10 minutes. Drain and add to the bowl with shrimp. Store in the refrigerator to cool.
- Combine mayonnaise
- dill
- parsley
- basil
- mustard
- lemon juice
- salt
- and white pepper together in a bowl. Mix well. Taste and adjust if needed.
- Remove shrimp and orzo from the refrigerator. Add cherry tomatoes and dressing; stir well. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 4