LAMB AND ORZO SALAD
This lamb and orzo salad is a great summery meal. It’s full of fresh herbs and lots of interesting textures. Delicious eaten warm or cold, and perfect for taking on a picnic!
If you’re not keen to use sausages, most other meats would work well. Try lamb leg steaks or diced chicken thighs (and cook in a frying pan rather than the oven).
LAMB AND ORZO SALAD
This lamb and orzo salad is a great summery meal. It’s full of fresh herbs and lots of interesting textures. Delicious eaten warm or cold, and perfect for taking on a picnic!
Ingredients
SALAD
- 500 g lamb sausages (1lb 2oz)
- 1/2 telegraph cucumber
- 1 large red capsicum
- 1/2 red onion
- 150 g cherry tomatoes (5.3oz)
- 150 g feta cheese (5.3oz)
- 250 g orzo pasta (8.8oz)
- 3 Tbsp slivered almonds
- 1/2 cup pitted olives (optional)
- 60 g baby spinach (2.1oz)
DRESSING
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup olive oil (60ml)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (60ml)
- 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 1/4 tsp caster sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
COOK SAUSAGES
Preheat oven to 190ºC (375ºF) fan bake. Place sausages on a rack set over a roasting dish and prick a few times with a fork. Cook for 20 minutes, until browned and cooked through.
CHOP SALAD INGREDIENTS
Dice cucumber, capsicum and red onion. Cut tomatoes in half. Roughly dice feta.
TOAST ALMONDS AND COOK ORZO
Bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Add orzo and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan over medium heat and toast almonds. This should only take a couple of minutes - watch carefully to avoid burning.
MAKE DRESSING
Place all dressing ingredients in a jar, secure the lid and shake well to combine.
ASSEMBLE SALAD
Drain orzo. Slice sausages into rounds. Combine all the salad ingredients, including olives (if using) and spinach, in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over the top and use salad servers to gently mix. Season to taste with a little extra salt and pepper, if required.
Recipe Notes
WINE MATCH: Choose a fruity Sauvignon Blanc.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Make sure sausages are gluten-free. You can use a small gluten-free pasta (i.e. macaroni elbows or spirals) instead of the orzo, otherwise a blend of rice and quinoa would work well too.
INGREDIENT SWAPS: You could use lamb leg steaks instead of sausages. Rub with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then pan fry until cooked to your liking. Leave to rest for a few minutes, then slice. You could also swap the orzo for another small pasta, such as macaroni.
INGREDIENT TIP: You will need 1 very large lemon or 2 smaller lemons to get 1/4 cup lemon juice.
MAKE IT HEALTHIER: You could reduce the amount of orzo to 200g and add a can of chickpeas in spring water (drained) to the salad.
STORING AND REHEATING: Store individual servings in airtight containers and eat leftovers cold or reheated in the microwave.
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