Southwestern Orzo Salad

A creamy cilantro dressing being poured over an orzo salad in a large white serving bowl with separate piles of black beans, zucchini, diced orange bell pepper and crumbled queso fresco before being mixed together.

4 from 9 votes

A cool, creamy southwestern orzo salad with black beans, veggies, queso fresco and an easy homemade cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Total Time25

Yield: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

For the salad:

10 oz. orzo pasta (see notes)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium zucchini, diced small
1 medium bell pepper (I prefer yellow or orange, but any color will do), diced small
½ cup crumbled queso fresco cheese, plus extra for serving

For the cilantro lime dressing:

¼ cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lime zest
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded for less heat
½ cup packed cilantro leaves
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the orzo in salted water, according to package directions.
In the meantime, add the chopped zucchini to a large bowl.
Drain the orzo pasta and pour over the chopped raw zucchini in the bowl. This helps soften the zucchini slightly. Let the pasta cool.
Once cooled, stir in the black beans, peppers and queso fresco. You can refrigerate the salad at this point if you’d like.
Make the easy creamy cilantro-lime vinaigrette. Combine all ingredients in a blender or immersion blend. Blend until smooth. If making ahead, store the dressing separately in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, stir the dressing into the salad, mixing well to combine.
Serve the orzo salad cold or at room temperature with extra queso fresco crumbled on top.

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Notes

This needs to be made in advance to allow the orzo to cool, so please plan accordingly.

Orzo: I like to get whole wheat orzo when I can find it, but it’s not available in many stores. Also, this recipe calls for 10 oz., which s not the whole box if yours comes in a 1 lb. package like mine. It’s about ⅔rds (I eyeball it).

Cheese: Queso fresco, or queso blanco, is a mild white Mexican cheese. It’s available in most grocery stores, but if you can’t find it, you can substitute a mild feta cheese (a French style one, not a Greek one) or a mild goat cheese.

Dressing: The creamy cilantro lime dressing is so quick and easy to make in a blender. But you could substitute a similar store-bought dressing if you prefer.

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Nutrition

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