Cucumber, Dill & Orzo Salad

This past week has been jam-packed full of activities. I was either working long hours after severe weather struck the state OR I was PREPARING FOR severe weather. I didn’t cook much, hence the lack of posts…but I’m back at it again, I swear!

I pulled a boatload of a good recipes out of my old, black recipe box to be cooked this weekend. Cookies, pie, casserole, snack & salad recipes…oh my! This draw has to be one of the best ones I’ve ever done.

I kicked off the weekend with making this spring-y salad. I have no clue as to where it came from, but like I said—this recipe box is one of my older ones. I managed to blindly pull out not one, but TWO orzo recipes…what are the chances of that? Anyway, this salad sounded so good, and easy to boot.

Now that the weather is warming up, I’m craving cooler foods like salads and sandwiches. This pasta salad is light, lightly seasoned, and it really lets the dill and English cucumber shine. The orzo soaks up the lemon & oil dressing amazingly.

Cucumber, Dill & Orzo Salad

• 16 oz. dried orzo
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 TBS. chopped fresh dill
• 3 TBS. olive oil
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 large English cucumber, chopped
• 8 ounces Havarti with Dill cheese, cubed

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 8-9 minutes until al dente. Drain and rinse. Let pasta cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a  large bowl, stir lemon juice, fresh dill, olive oil, salt and pepper together until well combined. Add cooked orzo and toss to coat. Cover and chill until mixture is cold.
3. Stir chopped cukes and cheese cubes into orzo mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

I don’t usually like cucumber, but I had never tried English cucumbers. Wow! These cukes tasted so good and refreshing. I chopped them up pretty small so that the pasta, herbs and cheese really come together with cukes. It’s really quite tasty! Try this recipe the next time you’re in  a crunch for time and need to make something for a cookout or family gathering!