Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing

I made this today for a summer dinner party. I also added edamame for extra protein. Yum! For the quick and easy version, use Bolthouse Creamy Cilantro Avocado salad dressing (yogurt based, in the produce section) and add the lime juice/spices/seasoning as desired. Terrific!

We enjoyed this healthy salad and will be making it again. Just be warned, it is firey. I cut the cayenne in half and the dressing was still hot. Love this salad, though.

This was great!  Easy to make and my kids (both under 5) had three helpings.  It's definitely a keeper.

This is much better than you think it will be! Got rave reviews at a picnic!

I don't care for the taste of parsley, so I left that out. And inexplicably, I couldn't find orzo in either of my two main grocery stores the day I went shopping, so I opted for a different noodle. Otherwise prepared as directed. Quite tasty!

Wow! I just made this for the first time and it tastes better than how amazing the recipe sounded to begin with. I used all ingredients except substituted the mayo for the sour cream it already calls for (I hate mayo). Only thing I would do differently next time is cut back a bit on the cayenne red pepper (I love a kick but this could've used half of what it called for ) and about double the amount lf fresh lime juice as I believe it will bring out all' the flavors even more. What a fantastic combination!

I replaced the orzo with farro for a more healthful version. I also happened to be out of corn so I used edamame instead. Came out great.

Love this dish! My husband requests this almost weekly! Leftovers are great to take for lunch the next day.

Great recipe! Made for family get together and everyone loved it. The only change I made was to chop up the avocado into bite size pieces and coat with extra dressing I made and then add to the salad before serving. This prevents the avocado from browning and keeps well for leftovers.

This was a delicious recipe, just shy of outstanding. It did need more salt than specified, although, the suggestion of black olives by another reviewer may take care of that need. This is a very easy recipe, perfect for a week night.

Fantastic recipe! I didn't have orzo on hand, so I used Trader Joe's "Harvest Grains Blend", which is Israeli Style Couscous, orzo, baby garbanzo beans and red quinoa. With the black beans added this salad really packs a protein punch and is very filling and delicious!

I made this for Father's Day and it is really good as is. Next time I would use less orzo and maybe add black olives. Also, after adding the dressing and putting in the frig for a few hours the pasta absorbs the dressing and overall the salad gets a little dry. It might be better to add the dressing just before serving. I diced the avocado and added it to the salad and did not garnish.

This is the best tasting salad of this type I have ever made or eaten. I have served it twice and have had great reviews, many compliments and "can I have this recipes". Making it again for Father's Day bar-b-q. Love it, love it, love it.

Delicious!! A definite keeper.

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.

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!

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.

excellent

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!

Delightful as is.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!!

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!

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

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

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.

Easy to make, taste more spice than flavor.

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.

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!

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.

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.