This simple and delicious Kritharaki salad with fresh vegetables, herbs and sun-dried tomatoes is a quick side dish for any barbecue or picnic. Especially if you love Mediterranean pasta salads, then this is just the thing for you. It’s ready in just 20 minutes without a lot of work, making it the perfect summer salad for this year!
Kritharaki (Orzo) what is it ?
Orzo, also known as kritharaki (in Greek), are small rice-shaped noodles, which is why they are often called rice noodles. They are native to Italy, but are very popular throughout the Mediterranean, especially in Greece. Orzo pasta (Kritharaki) is available in almost every supermarket these days. Sometimes Orzo is also available as a special offer in some discount stores.
What does Kritharaki taste like?
Similar to other types of pasta, they have a relatively neutral taste, which is why they are great for combining with different dishes such as salads, soups or one-pot main courses. For my orzo salad, I briefly fried the orzo in olive oil beforehand, which gives the salad a very special flavor. Orzo pasta is also often used for risotto-like one-pot dishes. Just like risotto rice, they are creamy and at the same time soft and grainy.
I personally love orzo pasta and am so glad that I discovered it in the supermarket last year. No matter how I prepare it, it always tastes good for the whole family! Here I have decided on a light but very tasty orzo salad. The great thing about this salad is that it’s perfect for using up leftovers! But that’s enough of my gushing, let’s take a look at the ingredients.
Kritharaki salad in 3 steps – here’s how:
Step 1
First fry the orzo pasta in a little olive oil until browned all over. Then deglaze with double the amount of water and bring to the boil. Close the lid and finish cooking over a low heat. My tip: Instead of water, you can also deglaze it with vegetable stock, super tasty!
Step 2
Meanwhile, everything can be sliced. Simply cut the peppers, tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. As I said, feel free to use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge.
Step 3
Finally, mix all the ingredients together with the dressing. The dressing here is simply olive oil and lemon. We have already conjured up a super tasty orzo salad.
If you have tried the recipe, I would be very interested to hear your opinion. Feel free to leave me a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! I’m always happy to receive praise, more tips and friendly criticism.
And now, I wish you lots of fun cooking!
