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Giving pasta salad a Spanish spin and turning it into a delicious romesco orzo pasta salad with roasted tomatoes, charred eggplant, fresh herbs, crumbled feta, and Calabrian chilies. It's so delicious that you'll be going back for seconds and thirds!
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What makes this dish special
We're sort of in a weird time of the year right now. Everyone is itching for it to be fall, but it's still not quite there yet. Although I'm one of those people waiting for cooler days, I'm still not ready to say goodbye to summer produce. Heck, I just ordered 2 more pounds of peaches! So, I'm using up the last of the ripe cherry tomatoes and sweet bell peppers to make this delicious romesco orzo pasta salad. With plenty of flavor from the homemade romesco sauce, fresh herbs, chili, feta, and roasted tomatoes, this pasta salad truly takes the cake.
If you're like me, the last thing you want is yet another boring pasta salad. Last year, I whipped together a cherry tomato confit pasta salad that changed my mind about pasta salads. This year, I took that idea and gave it a spin by creating this romesco orzo pasta salad. Let me cut to the end and just tell you right now, this is truly delicious.
When I was a private chef, I paired this pasta salad with triple pepper crusted steak, herby yogurt grilled chicken, or roasted tri-tip with chimichurri for my clients and they loved it. You can also top it with any protein of your choice to make it a complete meal!
Recipe
Romesco Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
Romesco sauce
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup sliced almonds toasted
- ¼ cup hazelnuts toasted
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
Pasta salad
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 medium eggplant diced
- ½ medium red onion chopped
- 1 cup orzo
- 4 Calabrian chilies sliced
- ¼ cup feta crumbled
- ¼ cup pine nuts toasted
- ¼ cup dill chopped
- ¼ cup parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Toss the halved cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet in an even layer. Place the bell pepper on a baking sheet. Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened and the bell pepper is charred. Reserve half of the tomatoes and set them aside. Transfer the bell pepper into a container and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and remove the skin and discard the seeds.
- Blend the bell pepper with half of the cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, toasted almonds, toasted hazelnuts, red pepper flakes, paprika, and sherry vinegar. With the blender running, slowly add ½ cup olive oil. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook the diced eggplant and red onion until softened and caramelized, about 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and add the orzo to the cooked eggplant and red onion. Add the reserved cherry tomatoes, Calabrian chilies, crumbled feta, pine nuts, fresh dill, and parsley. Add romesco sauce and toss gently to combine. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Video
Notes
Step-by-step instructions
Step 1: Make romesco sauce
Let's start by roasting the cherry tomatoes. When you roast tomatoes, they become concentrated, and the flavors become more intense. If you don't like fresh tomatoes, you might just fall in love with roasted ones.
While the tomatoes are roasting, go ahead and roast the bell pepper for the romesco sauce too.
Once the bell pepper is softened and charred, place it in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. The steam will help loosen the skin, making it easier to peel.
After about ten minutes, carefully remove the cover and pull off the skin.
When I was attending the Culinary Institute of America, my chef instructor told me, never wash away the skin! This will also wash away all the flavor.
Use half of those lovely tomatoes and blend them up with the roasted bell pepper, garlic, toasted almonds, toasted hazelnuts, red pepper flakes, paprika, and sherry vinegar. Slowly add the oil while the blender is running to thicken the sauce.
Season the romesco with salt and pepper and set it aside.
Step 2: Cook salad ingredients
Now it's time to prepare the rest of the pasta salad. Saute diced eggplant and cook until it's caramelized, about 8-10 minutes.
If you're not a fan of eggplant, you can simply omit it or swap it for some roasted zucchini, summer squash, caramelized onions (yum!), or even roasted Brussels sprouts.
Cook the orzo until al dente and drain.
If you're cooking the orzo ahead of time, drain the orzo and rinse it in cold water to stop the cooking process. Then, toss the pasta with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent the orzo from sticking together.
Step 3: Putting it all together
Now that we have all of our pasta salad components ready, it's time to assemble. Toss the orzo together with the eggplant and onion, reserved cherry tomatoes, and romesco sauce.
I added some Calabrian chilies for some heat, but you can skip this if you prefer.
Finish the pasta salad with pine nuts, crumbled feta, and a good handful of fresh dill and parsley.
And there you have it, folks! This romesco orzo pasta salad is a great transition dish from summer to fall. It utilizes summer's great harvest, but is also the perfect comfort dish. Seconds anyone?
For another fantastic pasta salad, check out this Mediterranean shrimp pasta salad!
Make-ahead and storage
- Make-ahead: The romesco sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Store: Keep the pasta salad in an air-tight container in the fridge, and it should stay fresh for 3 days.
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All images shot and styled by Christine Ma. Available for food photography, styling, and recipe development.
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