Gluten Free Wild Rice and Orzo Salad.

This fresh and colorful wild rice and orzo salad is perfect for summertime gatherings. Finely chopped vegetables, herbs, wild rice, pasta, and a flavorful dressing combine to make this delicious salad.

Summertime is the perfect time to enjoy salads. Whether it’s pasta salad, potato salad, or a green salad, it’s nice to have something cool to eat for lunch or dinner.

This wild rice orzo salad is full of fun colors and textures. Lots of chopped peppers, red onion, corn, pasta, wild rice, and herbs make a salad that’s beautiful to look at and fun to eat.

Ingredient Notes

• Gluten Free Orzo – Both DeLallo and Jovial make gluten free orzo. You could also use a different pasta shape if you like. If you aren’t gluten free, you can use regular orzo.
• Wild Rice Blend – I used Lundberg Wild Rice Blend. I like the combination of rice in this blend. If you can’t have rice, you could use more pasta or quinoa instead.
• Pumpkin Seeds – Super Seedz pumpkin seeds are made in a nut free facility. You could also use sunflower seeds or nuts if you like.

Substitutions

• If you don’t want to use rice, you could use quinoa, millet, or more pasta instead.
• Feel free to try different vegetables if you like! Shredded carrots, cherry tomatoes, peas, or green onions would all work well in this recipe.
• If you don’t want to use vinegar, use an equal amount of lemon juice instead.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Cook the wild rice blend according to package directions. Cook the gluten free orzo in a separate pot according to package directions. Allow both to cool, and then place in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, mix up the dressing and set aside.

3. Add the chopped onions, peppers, corn, parsley, seeds, and cranberries to the bowl with the grains.

4. Add the dressing and toss to coat.

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Storage

Store leftover salad in the refrigerator. If you’d like to make this the night before serving, just keep the dressing separate from the salad. Add the dressing to the bowl right before serving.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this salad as a light dinner or lunch, or as a side dish with any of the following recipes:

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Recipe

Gluten Free Wild Rice and Orzo Salad.

This wild rice orzo salad is loaded with flavor and texture from finely chopped vegetables, pasta, rice, and a delicious dressing.

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 2
  Tablespoons
  basil leaves
  sliced thin
• 1
  Tablespoon
  fresh parsley
  finely chopped
• ½
  teaspoon
  dried oregano
• 1
  clove
  garlic
  minced
• 1 ½
  Tablespoons
  sugar
• ¼
  cup
  red wine vinegar
• ½
  cup
  olive oil
• ½
  teaspoon
  salt
• ¼
  teaspoon
  pepper

For the Salad:

• 1 ½
  cups
  wild rice blend
• 1
  cup
  gluten free orzo
  DeLallo and Jovial both make gluten free orzo
• 2
  cups
  sweet peppers
  finely chopped – use a variety of colors – red, orange, yellow, green
• ⅓
  cup
  red onion
  finely chopped
• 1
  cup
  frozen corn
  thawed
• ½
  cup
  roasted pumpkin seeds
• ½
  cup
  dried cranberries
• ¼
  cup
  fresh parsley
  finely chopped

Instructions

1. Cook the wild rice blend according to package directions. While it cooks, in a separate pot, cook the gluten free orzo according to package directions.

2. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it and put it in a large bowl. Add the wild rice blend to the bowl as well. Set aside to cool.

3. While the pasta and rice are cooling, make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the basil, parsley, oregano, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. Whisk well with a fork.

4. Add the chopped peppers, onions, corn, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and parsley to the large bowl with the pasta and rice.

5. Pour the dressing over the other ingredients. Use two spoons to toss the ingredients together, making sure the dressing is evenly distributed.

6. Serve right away, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

If you aren’t gluten free, go ahead and use regular orzo.

If you can’t have seeds, you can leave them out. You could also use sunflower seeds or nuts instead of pumpkin seeds.

If you’d like to make this the night before serving, I recommend keeping the dressing separate, and then adding it to the salad right before you serve it.

Store leftover salad in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for about 4 days.

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Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Wild Rice and Orzo Salad.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 325
Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Trans Fat 1g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3g

Monounsaturated Fat 9g

Sodium 138mg6%

Potassium 321mg9%

Carbohydrates 43g14%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 1120IU22%

Vitamin C 43mg52%

Calcium 20mg2%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Adapted from this recipe.

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