Italian Orzo Pasta Salad is made with classic pasta salad ingredients including cured meats, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and roasted red peppers combined with orzo pasta and tossed with Italian dressing. It’s a great side dish for summer dinners and entertaining.
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Pasta salad is a classic summertime recipe and this Italian Orzo Pasta Salad is a delicious variation to try this season.
It’s made with summer sausage (or the meat of your choice), mozzarella cheese, vegetables and orzo pasta all tossed with zesty Italian dressing.
Serve this side dish with all of your favorite cookout favorites such as Chipotle-Honey Barbecue Ribs, Sweet Chili Lime Shrimp Skewers or Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Skewers and along with other sides like Grilled Corn Salsa and Classic Potato Salad.
Why This Recipe Works
This is a very simple recipe to throw together. It’s as simple and cooking the orzo, dicing some ingredients and mixing it all together. You can use store-bought or homemade Italian dressing.
It’s a flavorful combination of meat, cheese, and vegetables that you can easily adapt to suit your own tastes. Summer sausage can be substituted for other cured meats, different cheese can be used and you can add or omit any of the vegetables.
This recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until needed making it a great choice for summer entertaining or pot lucks.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (cut into halves or quarters)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (diced)
- 1 cup summer sausage (diced): you can use a different cure meat like pepperoni or prosciutto, if preferred.
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers (diced)
- 1/4 cup basil (cut into ribbons or minced)
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing
The entire recipe and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package until al dente. Set aside to cool.
Cut the tomatoes into halves or quarters and dice the mozzarella cheese, summer sausage and roasted red peppers. Cut the basil into ribbons or mince it.
Create!
Combine the cooled orzo pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, summer sausage and roasted red peppers in a large bowl. Mix well.
You can either mix the basil in, or add it at the end as a garnish.
Mix in the Italian dressing, adding more or less to suite your own preferences.
Present!
Transfer to a serving dish or bowl, if desired, and serve.
Tips and Techniques
- This recipe is very adaptable. Summer sausage can be substituted for other cured meats, different cheese can be used and you can add or omit any of the vegetables.
- The dressing is your choice! You can use store bought dressing to make it even quicker or make your own. You can even try a completely different type of dressing – it’s totally up to you!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 3 days for best results.
More Summer Side Dish Recipes
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Itallian Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (cut into halves or quarters)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (diced)
- 1 cup summer sausage (diced)
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers (diced)
- 1/4 cup basil (cut into ribbons or minced)
- 1/2 cup Italian dressing
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package until al dente. Set aside to cool.1 pound orzo pasta
- Combine the cooled orzo pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, summer sausage and roasted red peppers in a large bowl. Mix well.2 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1 cup summer sausage, 1/4 cup roasted red peppers
- You can either mix the basil in, or add it at the end as a garnish.1/4 cup basil
- Mix in the Italian dressing, adding more or less to suite your own preferences.1/2 cup Italian dressing
- Transfer to a serving dish or bowl, if desired, and serve immediately or chill first.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- This recipe is very adaptable. Summer sausage can be substituted for other cured meats, different cheese can be used and you can add or omit any of the vegetables.
- The dressing is your choice! You can use store bought dressing to make it even quicker or make your own. You can even try a completely different type of dressing - it's totally up to you!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 3 days for best results.
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