Summer is the time for a nice barbecue. At least, if the weather plays along. This year, the weather is not really playing along here in Germany. Bummer ;P A lot of rain. Well… we had some dry days in between, so there was a chance to heat up the grill and throw some meat and (fake) sausages on top. Along with that we normally also have some salad. Besides the classics – potato salad and pasta salad – we love to make this delicious Summer Salad with Orzo and Chickpeas. Our guests love it. Crowd pleaser ;)
A barbecue is not a real barbecue without some sides like fresh bread, sauces, and some nice salad. You can never go wrong with a classic German potato salad or pasta salad. Except you make them the wrong way… Germany is divided here. You either make them with mayonnaise or without. My family was always a “no mayonnaise” family ;P
Well… to avoid discussions here, just prepare this delicious Summer Salad with Orzo and Chickpeas. Nobody can tell if there is a version with mayonnaise, so nobody will complain. Unless they don’t like orzo or chickpeas ;P Or you could just let everyone bring their own salad and meat and just serve some strong alcoholic drinks. Never had complaints about that ;P
Anyway. I really like the salad because it’s quick and easy to prepare. We have Orzo or Kritharaki almost always in the house – for example, for a casserole dish with minced meat & feta. The pasta is cooked in a few minutes, the can of chickpeas is quickly opened and the veggies are also chopped in no time. All easy peasy. It’s always good to get your work in the kitchen done quickly if you have guests over for a bbq – means less stress and more time to entertain your friends ;P
There aren’t too many salad recipes here on the blog yet, because I haven’t done many cooking recipes for the blog yet. But thanks to the covid lockdown I had more time to cook and rest recipes ;) At least something good came out of this big mess. Anyway. Here are my top three summer salads – in case you need some more inspiration:
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the salad:
9 oz. (250g) orzo (risoni) pasta
1 can (14 oz./400g) chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 small red onion, diced
7 oz. (200g) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper (orange or yellow), diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
For the dressing:
3-4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. chili flakes
salt, pepper
2-3 stalks flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 spring onion, chopped
Für den Salat:
250g Orzo Nudeln (Risoni)
1 Dose (400g) Kichererbsen, abgespült & abgetropft
1 kleine rote Zwiebel, gewürfelt
200g Kirschtomaten, halbiert
1 Paprika (orange oder gelb), gewürfelt
1/2 Salatgurke, gewürfelt
Für das Dressing:
3-4 EL Olivenöl
2 EL Zitronensaft
1 EL Weißweinessig
2 Knoblauchzehen, gepresst
1 TL Honig
1 TL getrocknetes Basilikum
1/4 TL Chiliflocken
Salz, Pfeffer
2-3 Stiele glatte Petersilie, gehackt
1 Frühlingszwiebel, gehackt
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Pour the chickpeas into a sieve, rinse with water and let drain. Set aside. Peel the onion and dice finely. Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half. Wash and dry the bell pepper, remove the insides and cut into small dices. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, remove the watery seeds, and cut into small dices. Add everything to the bowl with the cooled orzo (risoni) and mix to combine. Set aside.
3. For the dressing mix the olive oil with lemon juice, vinegar, crushed garlic, honey, dried basil, and chili flakes. Add to the bowl and mix everything until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Place the salad in the fridge for at least 30-45 minutes so the flavors can get to know each other. Sprinkle the salad with chopped parsley and spring onions before serving. Leftover salad stays fine for up to 2 days in the fridge.
2. Die Kichererbsen in ein Sieb schütten, mit Wasser abspülen und dann abtropfen lassen. Zur Seite stellen. Die Zwiebel schälen und fein würfeln. Die Tomaten waschen, trocknen und halbieren. Die Paprika waschen, trocknen, das Innere entfernen und in kleine Würfel schneiden. Die Gurke längs vierteln, die wässrigen Samen entfernen und dann in kleine Würfel schneiden. Alles zur Schüssel mit den abgekühlten Nudeln geben und vermengen. Zur Seite stellen.
3. Für das Dressing das Olivenöl mit Zitronensaft, Essig, gepresstem Knoblauch, Honig, Basilikum und Chiliflocken verrühren. In die große Schüssel dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Nach Belieben mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Den Salat dann für mindestens 30-45 Minuten in den Kühlschrank stellen, damit er durchziehen kann. Vor dem Servieren mit gehackter Petersilie und Frühlingszwiebeln bestreuen. Reste halten sich im Kühlschrank bis zu 2 Tage.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Orzo & Chickpea Summer Salad
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:07
- Total Time: 01:30
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: International
Description
Easy and done in no time: Orzo & Chickpea Summer Salad – the perfect salad for your next bbq party. It’s so good!
Ingredients
For the salad:
9 oz. (250g) orzo (risoni) pasta
1 can (14 oz./400g) chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 small red onion, diced
7 oz. (200g) cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bell pepper (orange or yellow), diced
1/2 cucumber, diced
For the dressing:
3–4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp. honey
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. chili flakes
salt, pepper
2–3 stalks flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 spring onion, chopped
Instructions
1. Bring a pot with salt water to a boil and cook the orzo (risoni) according to the instructions on the package – mine took 7 minutes. Drain the orzo (risoni) and place in a large bowl. Let cool down – move occasionally so the pasta is not sticking together.
2. Pour the chickpeas into a sieve, rinse with water and let drain. Set aside. Peel the onion and dice finely. Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half. Wash and dry the bell pepper, remove the insides and cut into small dices. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, remove the watery seeds, and cut into small dices. Add everything to the bowl with the cooled orzo (risoni) and mix to combine. Set aside.
3. For the dressing mix the olive oil with lemon juice, vinegar, crushed garlic, honey, dried basil, and chili flakes. Add to the bowl and mix everything until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Place the salad in the fridge for at least 30-45 minutes so the flavors can get to know each other. Sprinkle the salad with chopped parsley and spring onions before serving. Leftover salad stays fine for up to 2 days in the fridge.
Notes
Enjoy summer!
Keywords: summer, salad, chickpeas, tomatoes, orzo
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;)
