Mediterranean Tuna Orzo Salad
Whip up a quick and tasty Mediterranean tuna orzo salad for a weeknight dinner. This recipe is ideal for a healthy meal that’s ready in no time.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Pot Large
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 Cup orzo cooked and cooled
- 10 Ounces tuna canned, in olive oil, drained
- 1 Cup grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- ½ Cup Kalamata olives pitted and sliced
- ½ Cup green onion diced
- ½ Cup fire-roasted red peppers chopped
- 1 Cup cucumber diced
- ½ Cup feta cheese crumbled
- 10 Spears asparagus pickles
- salt and black pepper to taste
- fresh basil for garnish
Optional:
For the Dressing:
- ½ Cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- zest of a lemon
- 2 Teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Clove garlic minced
- 2 Teaspoons Herbes de Provence
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Salad:
- Cook the orzo pasta according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, lightly drizzle with olive oil and mix to prevent it from sticking together. Set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, flake the drained tuna with a fork.
- Add the cooked and cooled orzo to the bowl with tuna.
- Toss in cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, green onion, roasted peppers, cucumber, feta cheese, and pickled asparagus spears.
Make the Dressing:
- Chop with a knife or blend the dried Herbes de Province in order to break down some of the larger, harder herbs. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, zest of lemon, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, chopped Herbes de Province
- Add salt and black pepper to taste.
Assemble the Salad:
- Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients.
- Gently toss the salad until all ingredients are well coated with the dressing.
- Refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Before serving, give it a final toss and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish the salad with additional feta cheese, fresh basil, lemon wedges, and/or capers.
- Serve chilled.
Notes
Mixing the olive oil: When using olive oil in salad dressing, don't blend it in a blender because it will become bitter. Always use a fork or whisk.
Pitted olives: Use pitted Kalamata olives so you don't have to remove each pit while eating the salad.
Best cucumber: I find the smaller Persian or English cucumbers are best for this salad.
Don't skip the chilling: It's best to chill the salad for half an hour before serving so the flavors can meld together.
Pitted olives: Use pitted Kalamata olives so you don't have to remove each pit while eating the salad.
Best cucumber: I find the smaller Persian or English cucumbers are best for this salad.
Don't skip the chilling: It's best to chill the salad for half an hour before serving so the flavors can meld together.
Nutrition
Calories: 555kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 669mg | Potassium: 426mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 685IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 3mg
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