Orzo Caprese Salad

Some nights, we have sandwich nights.  I have a love/hate relationship with sandwich nights, because I struggle with what to serve for a side.   Most of the time I will do some kind of salad, whether it be a garden salad or my favorite cous cous salad.  I am not a big fan of pasta salad, potato salad or cole slaw.

Now if Nico had his way, we'd have chips.  But if we are going to just have sandwiches, I have to sneak a vegetable in somewhere.   Well last week, I did't have a clue what to make, so I raided the fridge and ended up with this orzo caprese salad.

The kids liked it because they always like tiny pasta shapes.   And mozzarella and tomatoes always goes over well in my house.   It is a simple dish, yes.  But a quick and easy side dish for the summer months.   It would be a great addition to your next backyard BBQ as a large batch can be made as easily as a small batch can.   This recipe was enough for us to have for dinner and I had a little left over for my lunch the next day.

Orzo Caprese Salad
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 cup orzo
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup bocconcini (mozzarella balls)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the chicken broth to a boil over medium high heat.  Add the orzo and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.  Drain and set aside to cool.  (Tip: lay the orzo flat on a cookie sheet while you prepare the rest of the ingredients and it will cool faster.)

Prepare the tomatoes and mozzarella. If they are too large for bite size, quarter them.  Place them in a bowl, add the orzo, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper and toss to combine.   Serve room temperature or chilled.

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