Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing

My husband could not get enough of this pasta! It was great room temperature right after prepared and wonderful cold the next day. The only changes that I made to the recipe were in favor of our tastes so I chopped 1 whole bunch of green onions, 1 large elephant garlic clove (not crushed), threw in 2 avocados and used canned sweet niblet corn instead of the frozen called for in the recipe. I also omitted the black beans entirely. It was really outstanding - excellent heat and we have made again and again. I'm especially fond of this cool, refreshing pasta salad for summer! I usually serve with seasoned, grilled chicken breasts for a full meal ready in ~20 minutes. Enjoy!

I cut the chili powder in half and use slightly less than 1/8 tsp. of the red pepper as I don't like really spicy foods. I love this salad and will make it again.

Perfect for a summer picnic. Not wow, but very good flavor. My toddler is devouring it as I type this. It's a little soupy, so I'll reduce the liquid a little next time.

Easy to make, taste more spice than flavor.

Great leftover for lunch. I thought the flavor and texture was excellent. I used guajillo chili powder. I did think the part of the recipe calling for "crushed" garlic was unclear. I used one finely chopped clove and found the flavor was more than strong enough. Maybe the recipe writer intended to have the garlic flavor just infuse from whole crushed cloves, to be removed before serving. Not sure.

What a great recipe and so easy to make. I made the dressing early in the morning and let the flavors come together in the fridge. I also minced the garlic as the oher readers did. I also use milk with some vinegar or lemon juice instead of buttermilk to cut out a little bit more of the fat, and I promise you, you dont miss it. In fact, I do this anytime buttermilk is called for unless its baking.

Absolutely Delicious!! I doubled everything to make a huge pasta salad & also used fresh minced garlic. Great flavor, I will absolutely make this again.

This is my new go-to for summer picnics. Didn't change a thing!

I used an entire bunch of green onions and chopped 5 cloves of garlic. Also threw in a diced jalapeno (with seeds for more spice) and mixed the avocado into the entire salad. Beautiful dish!

Fabulous! I diced up the alvolcado and mixed in with the whole salad and it was GREAT! Just enough spice but not TOO spicy (although probaly too much so for kids!) It was great! Very filling too!!

Absolutely wonderful! The buttermilk dressing is not heavy at all, and the lime really brightens all the flavors. I zested the lime as well for some extra citrus flavor. Great recipe, and a perfect main dish for vegetarians.

I am always looking for healthy, easy salads to make for lunches. This one has definitely been added to the list. I used olive oil mayo that I had on hand, minced the garlic, and left out the parsley. The only thing I felt that it needed was a little more salt.

Nice creamy dressing that goes well with pasta. For some reason, the veggies didn't seem to mix so well with the pasta and dressing, and I found myself wishing it was just pasta and sauce (I know, I know... that defeats the whole "healthy" point). Husband didn't agree and he enjoyed it more than I did.

Made this for a bbq potluck and it was a big hit! The flavors are great with the perfect amount of spiciness. Only thing I changed in the recipe was to mince the garlic. Delicious!

I made this pasta salad for the first time Saturday last week and less than a week later my partner asked me to make it again! The only alteration I made to this recipe was to cut the avocado into bite size pieces as my partner is not overly fond of it. I also grilled chicken breasts to turn this salad into a complete meal. My partner loved the fiery taste of the dressing yet it was not overwhelming even for someone like me who likes spicy food in moderation. The only downside is that it is far too spicy for our 21/2 year old son but I am confident that I can make the dressing work for our whole family when our boy is a bit older. In the meantime, the adults thoroughly enjoy this amazing and delicious salad which is now part of my ever growing list of favourite dishes!

Delightful as is.

So easy and delicious. I can't have a lot of spice and this seemed to be the perfect amount. Will definitely make this again.

Very nice salad--perfect amount of heat for me. My husband loved it too. Stays frest even after dressing has been on for a few days.

excellent

I made this 2 weeks ago and my husband is still raving about it!!! The only thing I changed up was I didn't have limes and used lemons. Will definitely make again..and again...and again!