Warm Orzo Salad with Feta and Lemon
Tender orzo tossed with blistered cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber and briny olives, finished with lemon and crumbled feta. A light, bright one-pan salad that comes together fast.
- Total
- 16 min
- Prep 7 · Cook 9
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Dicing · Balancing with acid
- Savory
- Quick
- Mediterranean
- Light
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add 0.25 tsp salt and the orzo, and cook until just tender, about 7 minutes. Drain through a colander and set aside.
~7 min
Salting the water seasons the orzo from within as it absorbs liquid, so the pasta itself tastes seasoned, not just the dressing.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the orzo cooks, halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumber into 1 cm pieces, and thinly slice the red onion. Zest the lemon, then juice it into a small bowl.
~5 min
Dicing Cut cucumber into uniform 1 cm cubes by first slicing into planks, then sticks, then cubes. Keep pieces even for consistent texture and avoid crushing.
-
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until they soften and their skins blister, about 4 minutes.
~4 min
Blistering the tomatoes over medium-high heat concentrates their sugars and softens their skins, creating a jammy base that balances the salty feta.
Letting the tomatoes blister in the pan before adding the orzo builds a slightly sweet, jammy base that balances the salty feta and olives.
-
Add the drained orzo, cucumber, red onion and olives to the skillet. Toss for 1 minute to warm everything through, then season with the remaining 0.25 tsp salt and the black pepper.
~1 min
-
Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Crumble the feta over the top and serve warm.
~1 min
Adding lemon off the heat preserves its bright, volatile flavors, which would turn flat and cooked if exposed to high heat.
Add the lemon juice off the heat so its brightness stays sharp instead of turning flat and cooked.
Balancing with acid Add lemon juice off the heat and taste; adjust to brighten the dish without overpowering. Balance salty feta and olives with just enough acid.