Food Recipes Orzo Tomato Salad 4.2 (17) Swipe right on this clever pasta salad. By Jenna Helwig Jenna Helwig Instagram Jenna is the food director at Real Simple and the author of Bare Minimum Dinners, a cookbook featuring more than 100 low-lift, high-reward recipes. Previously, Jenna was the food director at Health and Parents. She is also the founder and operator of Rosaberry, a boutique personal chef services company, and the author of four other cookbooks, including the bestselling Baby-Led Feeding. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 11, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Hands On Time: 45 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Servings: 8 This delicious pasta salad combines rice-sized grains of orzo with a cornucopia of delicious flavors—Dijon, honey, and Parmesan all come to the party—with roasted cherry tomatoes, which transform into juicy umami orbs after an hour in the oven. Pine nuts are a worthy splurge in this creative recipe, but you can substitute toasted almonds or walnuts. Enjoy al fresco on a hot summer day with a glass of white wine and a big enough bowl for the heaping portions you'll want to eat. Ingredients 24 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved ½ cup olive oil, divided 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more for water 1 pound uncooked orzo 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon honey 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (¾ cup), divided 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for serving ½ cup toasted pine nuts Directions Preheat oven to 300 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in a single layer on baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Roast for 1 hour. Let cool for 30 minutes. While tomatoes cool, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain; transfer to a large bowl. While pasta cooks, whisk vinegar, mustard, honey, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Slowly add 5 tablespoons oil, whisking constantly to combine. Stir half of vinaigrette (about ¼ cup) into hot pasta in bowl. Let pasta mixture cool, stirring occasionally, until room temperature, about 30 minutes. Add remaining vinaigrette to pasta mixture. Stir in ½ cup cheese, roasted tomatoes, parsley, and pine nuts. Transfer to a platter. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese, drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and top with parsley. Jennifer Causey This crowd-pleaser makes the most of the season’s colorful, juicy tomatoes. Roast them low and slow to concentrate their flavor. Print