More than just your ordinary side dish, Risoni Salad can also be enjoyed as a light meal on its own. A burst of refreshing flavors in every bite — and it only takes 25 minutes to prepare!
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Sometimes called Italian Risoni Salad, you would think ‘summer salad’ at first glance.
Well, it is indeed a great summer salad because it’s light and it cools you down; but it’s also perfect for anything grilled or fried, any time of the year.
A bit hard to describe it, but Risoni Pasta Salad cleans your palate in between bites — does that make sense? Well, you give it a try and let me know what you think in the comment section below. 🙂
WHAT YOU NEED FOR RISONI SALAD
WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR LEMON?
White vinegar is a good alternative for lemon. I don’t recommend lime for this recipe; I feel that it clashes with the flavors of the green olives and the capers, so keep that in mind.
CAN I USE KALAMATA INSTEAD OF GREEN OLIVES?
Absolutely. However, kalamata has a stronger flavor than green olives, so you might need to adjust the amount of cucumber to balance it out.
It all depends on your preference, of course.
HOW TO MAKE RISONI PASTA SALAD
Cook the risoni pasta as per the instruction on the package (photo 1).
Once cooked, rinse with cold water to stop the heat from cooking it more. Set aside to drain.
Using a large bowl, combine the yellow pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, green olives, capers, and mozzarella. Add the drained risoni (photos 2 & 3).
Add olive oil, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper (photo 4).
Mix to combine everything (photo 5).
Add chopped fresh basil and mix (photo 6).
TOP TIPS FOR MAKING ITALIAN RISONI SALAD
- Dice all the vegetables in equal sizes. It makes it easier to get a bit of everything in every spoonful.
- Do not overcook the risoni and make sure you rinse it with cold water after draining.
- In making the risoni salad dressing, add half of the lemon juice first, taste, and then add some more, if needed. Half a lemon might be too sharp for your taste.
- Use fresh basil if you can, it gives more freshness to this summer salad than the dried ones.
IF YOU WANT MORE SUMMER RECIPES, YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE POSTS –
- Swedish Salmon Burger with Lemon Yogurt Sauce
- Finnish Summer Soup
- Sicilian Almond Granita
- Pistachio Semifreddo
OR IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SALAD IDEAS, THEN YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT MY SALAD COLLECTION!
Risoni Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup risoni pasta
- 1 cup yellow pepper, diced
- 1 cup tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/2 cup green olives, no pits, quartered
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
- 1/2 cup mozzarella, diced
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 15 leaves fresh basil, roughly chopped (more for garnish)
- salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- Cook risoni pasta as per package instructions. Once cooked, drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add yellow pepper, tomatoes, cucumber, green olives, capers, mozzarella, and cooled risoni.
- Season with salt and pepper. Then, add olive oil and lemon juice.
- Mix to combine.
- Add chopped fresh basil and mix.
- Serve. Garnish with more fresh basil, if desired.
Notes
- Do not overcook the risoni, and make sure you rinse it with cold water before setting it aside to stop it from cooking.
- Add the lemon juice in portions.Taste in between, you might not need all of it.
- Chop all the vegetables in equal sizes.It makes it easier to eat, not to mention it looks better when serving this pasta salad.
- Use fresh basil, not dried ones.
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