I took Friday off and somehow the long weekend still flew by. I didn’t even do anything out of the ordinary – ran a few errands, did a load of laundry, baked, cooked, picked up a few things at the Burlingame Farmers’ Market and walked around the Burlingame on the Avenue festival while we were there. It was a relaxing yet somehow busy few days.
Jason and I also brought Rookie over to visit my mom and dad on Saturday. They, along with my brother, have been extremely busy managing an office move and so we haven’t been getting together nearly as often as we usually do. But with a brunt of the physical work behind them, they invited us over for barbecue.
We agreed to keep things simple for everyone’s sake. Dad grilled some chicken and steak and made his famous ribs (which Jason says easily rival the ones he regretfully ordered at Mustards Grill), Mom tossed some greens and I prepared this lemony orzo pasta salad. Like the Mediterranean orzo pasta salad I made for our Memorial Day barbecue, it paired well with all three meats.
It’s super easy to make and requires a short list of ingredients, many of which you likely have on hand (always a good thing). Feel free to omit the bacon for a vegetarian version – it’s delicious with or without it.
Recipe adapted from Chef De Home.
- 8 ounces orzo
- 2 small lemons, zest and juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons honey
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, sliced
- 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Cook orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl; toss frequently until cool.
- In a large bowl, combine the lemon zest and lemon juice, olive oil, and honey; whisk until emulsified. Add onion and salt and pepper to taste; stir to combine.
- Add tomatoes, olives, bacon, parsley and orzo and toss gently to combine. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Alison, your pasta recipe look great! Bacon is a nice idea 🙂 thank you so much for linking back!
Thanks so much, Savita! Love your recipe!