Orzo Salad with Low Fat Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Orzo Salad with Low Fat Chipotle Ranch Dressing. Bursting with great fresh flavour, this tasty pasta salad can even be made fat free by using non-fat yogurt in the dressing!

Orzo Salad with Low Fat Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Originally published May 2013.

The best picnics and barbecue meals are often defined by the great side dishes that are served. This orzo salad is sure to be remembered.

We served this fantastic little pasta salad at one of the earliest grilling get-togethers of the season and it was very well received indeed.

It is a very flavourful cold salad that’s also delicious served with good cold cuts for a tasty lunch. The fact that the dressing uses fat-free yogurt as a base is an added bonus!

Orzo Salad with Low Fat Chipotle Ranch Dressing

We often use whole wheat pasta to make it even heather and more nutritious. If you cannot find whole wheat orzo any small whole wheat pasta like fusilli can be easily substituted.

Orzo pasta looks like large grains of rice.

You might also like Roasted Red Pepper Salad Dressing:

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Orzo Salad with Low Fat Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Orzo Salad with Low Fat Chipotle Ranch Dressing - bursting with great fresh flavour, this tasty pasta salad can even be made fat free by using non-fat yogurt in the dressing!

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Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups dry whole wheat orzo, or other small whole wheat pasta
• 1/2 cup sliced radishes
• 2 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 yellow, orange or red bell pepper, diced small
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, chives, basil, thyme and oregano all work well or a combination of any
• pinch black pepper

For the dressing

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• 1 cup drained non fat or low fat yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, very well minced
• 1 tbsp basil, very finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp chipotle powder, more or less to taste
• 2 tbsp buttermilk, or nonfat milk

Instructions

1. Begin by making the dressing.
2. Strain the yogurt by lining a colander with coffee filters and then pour in the yogurt. Place the colander over a bowl so that there is ample space between the bottom of the colander and the bottom of the bowl. Let the yogurt drain for several hours or overnight in the fridge.
3. Whisk together well until all the ingredients are well combined. let stand in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight for the flavors to fully blend and develop.
4. Cook the orzo in salted boiling water until cooked al dente. drain and rinse with cold water.
5. Drain well and add the prepared ranch dressing along with the radishes, tomatoes, red onion, bell peppers, herbs and black pepper.
6. Toss together well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1 serving
Amount Per Serving Calories 332Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 4mgSodium 309mgCarbohydrates 66gFiber 3gSugar 22gProtein 13g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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