Food Recipes Orzo Tomato Salad 4.2 (17) Add your rating & review 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 Rate It 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. Rate it Print