Christmas Pasta Salad recipe

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Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked orzo pasta
⅓ cup pesto, or to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 ounces mozzarella cheese balls or pearls
¼ cup sliced pepperoni, cut into strips
3 large fresh basil leaves, julienned

Nutrition Info

330.8 calories
carbohydrate: 43.8 g
cholesterol: 19.9 mg
fat: 11 g
fiber: 2.3 g
protein: 14.7 g
saturatedFat: 4 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 288.8 mg
sugar: 2.5 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  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 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

  2. Add pesto and lemon juice to the orzo, toss to coat. Mix in tomatoes, mozzarella cheese balls, and pepperoni strips. Refrigerate for 8 hours to overnight.

  3. Mix in basil right before serving.

Recipe Yield

8 servings

Recipe Note

The orzo in this salad is reminiscent of pine needles and when dressed in pesto brings a lovely green hue. Perlini mozzarella balls become ornaments, as do cherry tomatoes and ribbons of basil and pepperoni. I do not add salt as I find the pepperoni and pesto to be ample enough. Additional toppings to consider are slivers of red onion, black olives, and diced green bell pepper. I don't like balsamic vinegar, thus the lemon juice.

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