THIS Southwest Orzo Salad is flavorful, healthy, refreshing, texture packed ย and will actually have you craving salad!
This Orzo Salad is loaded with sweet mangoes, hearty black beans, fresh corn, crunchy peppers, creamy avocado, punchy red onions and cilantro all doused with the most incredible tangy sweet heat Chipotle Honey Lime Vinaigrette! This make-ahead Southwest Orzo Salad is an ideal side for any occasion (hello summer potlucks!) or add some chicken and make it dinner!
This Orzo Salad postย is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bushโs Beans. The opinions and text are all mine.
ORZO SALAD RECIPE VIDEO
Every so often a salad comes along that has me actually craving salad. This Southwest Orzo Salad with Chipotle Honey Lime Vinaigrette is such a pasta salad. A love at first bite pasta salad. A take to every summer picnic, potluck, BBQ, pool party type of pasta salad.ย It joins the ranks of myย Italian Pasta Salad with Tortelli,ย Creamy Bacon Pea Pasta Salad with Lemon Parmesan Dressing,ย Greek Pasta Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Feta Pesto andBLT Pasta Saladย with Lemon Chive Dressing as a summer MUST MAKEย pasta salad recipe.
Why Youโll Love This Orzo Salad Recipe
This orzo salad recipe is truly exceptional because:
1. This Southwest Orzo Salad is an appetizer, salad, and dinner all in one! You can top it with chopped lettuce, a dollop of sour cream and dig in with chips for an exquisite appetizer (SO GOOD)! Or it is hearty enough to stand alone as an entree because BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans is a super food, well at least in my book. BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans boast 7 g of protein, 6 g of fiber, are super low in fat, cholesterol-free, gluten-free and have only 105 calories in a serving!
I am such a fan of BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans and how they allow me to prepare healthy and delicious meals in such a short amount of time. By tossing BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans into dinner, youโre instantly adding protein and fiber and a whole lot of YUM like in my Southwest Pepper Jack Salad, One Pot Chicken Fajita Soup, TexMex Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta, Chipotle Mango Black Bean Chili, Chicken Fajita Wraps, Chipotle BBQ Chicken Salad, One Pot Cilantro Rice with Black Beans, 30 Minute Skinny Sante Fe Pasta and on and on and onโฆ
2. This Orzo Salad can be on the table in 30 minutes!ย Its so invitingly easy โ just chop your mangoes/veggies, rinse and drain your BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans and shake up your salad dressing and thatโs it! Another win for hassle free BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans.
3. This Southwest Orzo Salad is healthy, loaded with a rainbow of fiestalicious flavors and textures from mangos, corn, BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans, peppers, red onion, tomatoes, avocados and cilantro. All the components are delicious individually but add them together and you have an explosion of exponential deliciousness.ย ย Andย if you are intimidated by cutting mangos โ donโt be, just check out myย How to Cut A Mango Post that teaches everything you could ever want to know about mangos!
4. This Orzo Salad recipe is great to make in advance. You can prep this Southwest Orzo Salad almost completely ahead of time as BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans and other salad ingredients keep beautifully โ just leave the avocados until the last minute. This make-ahead factor gives you a stress free side/potluck ace at a seconds notice or allows you to feast on its deliciousness throughout the week. If you do make ahead of time, I like to keep the pasta salad and dressing separate and then toss just before serving as it keeps the flavors fresh and bright.
5. Theย orzo pasta itself has a wonderfully satisfying texture. I chose orzo specifically for this pasta salad because to me, orzo is riceโs pasta cousin. Orzoโs texture is a mix between a pasta and a rice, so it lends itself fabulously to anything Mexican related, particularity black beans, and fabulously to this Southwest Orzo Salad.
And if youโre just getting on the orzo bandwagon, you are definitely going to wan to check out my Parmesan Meatballs with Orzo and Italian Chicken Orzo Pasta โ both dreamy!
6. This Southwest Orzo Salad boasts an extra punch of flavor by tossing the orzo pasta with a couple tablespoons of the Chipotle Honey Lime Vinaigrette right after its cooked and drained. I borrowed this technique from my traditional pasta cooking โ whenever I cook a pasta, I toss the cooked pasta with a couple tablespoons of olive oil to keep it moist and from sticking together.
7. This Orzo Salad is doused in delectable Chipotle Honey Lime Vinaigrette that boasts a sweet heat thatโs light and refreshing โ without any mayo! I am so in loooooovve with this dressing. Its packed with flavor from not only the honey and lime but chipotle powder, cumin powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Its the perfect enlivening accompaniment to the orzo/veggies that you will strongly be tempted to drink all by itself. But trust me, its even better with the salad.ย I use a similar dressing/not as sweet vinaigrette in my Corn Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing which is also a MUST make!
Exceptionally delicious Southwest Orzo Salad. Bright, healthy, DE-licious and packed with veggies and protein thanks to BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans! This versatile Orzo Salad is guaranteed to become a new favorite in your home and a new favorite at all your summer gatherings!
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Best Orzo Salad with Chipotle Honey Lime Vinaigrette
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Ingredients
Salad
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo
- 1 15 oz. can BUSHโSยฎ Black Beans rinsed and drained
- 2 large mangoes, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn from 2 ears sweet corn (donโt cook)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 large red onion, chopped
- 1 large Avocado, chopped
- 1/2 cup packed cilantro, roughly chopped
Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lime juice plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 3/4 tsp EACH ground cumin, salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp EACH dried oregano, pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the Dressing ingredients to a jar, cover, and shake.
- Meanwhile, cook orzo according to package directions. Drain orzo and toss with 2 tablespoons Dressing. Let cool completely.
- Add orzo to a large bowl and toss with all of the salad ingredients EXCEPT the avocado. If serving right away, then toss in avocado, if chilling first, then add avocado right before serving.
Video
Notes
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bushโs Beans. The opinions and text are all mine.
Kelsey says
Iโm going to make this for dinner tonight!! Sounds delicious!!
Jen says
Awesome, hope you love it!!
B.Z.G. says
Made this last night, soooooo good. Everyone loved it. Served over chopped lettuce and added cucumber and zucchini. Dressing was great! Thank you.
Jen says
I love that you made this already and thrilled it was a hit! The addition of lettuce, cucumber and zucchini sounds wonderful!
Allie says
Hi Jen,
I made this last night and almost ruined it with the olive oil I used. What brand of olive oil do you use? I canโt be wasting money trying out another brand. I appreciate any help.
The basic salad was fantastic. We loved it.
Thank you so much!
Allie
Jen says
Hi Allie, happy you loved the salad! As far as olive oil, I donโt use anything fancy, just the Kirkland brand from Costco. Hope that helps!
Teija says
Totally worth all the chopping! Ha ๐ Made this a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it! Am making for my daughter this weekend when she comes home for a visit! Iโm actually craving it!!
Jen says
Yay! Thank you so much Teija! Iโm thrilled you loved this salad so much and find it craveworthy :)! Have fun with your daughter this weekend!
Becky says
Loved this, I omitted the avocado only because I knew it would take the hubs and I a few days to enjoy. Perfect for packed lunch meal prep, I just added grilled chicken or albacore tuna.
Jen says
Thanks Becky, Iโm so happy you loved this and so great for on the go lunches!
Nicole says
Hi! This looks delish! How does it hold up as leftovers, once itโs been missed together? Thanks for the recipes.
Nicole
Jen says
It holds up great with the exception of the avocado. I would pick out the avocados before saving or only add them to your serving. Enjoy!
Kelsey says
I brought this to a BBQ last weekend and it got RAVE reviews! I brought it over untossed, and it was such a colorful presentation on the table โ then tossed it with the dressing right before serving. The initial prep took awhile, but it was totally worth the extra time. This is my new summer BBQ go-to!!! Thank you!
Jen says
Thank you for taking the time to comment- you made my day! I am thrilled this orzo pasta salad was such a hit and your new go-to! This pasta salad is a forgotten little gem so Iโm so happy to hear it got some love!
Sheila says
Made this yesterday and it was fantastic. Perfect blends of textures and flavors. I really loved the addition of mango! I will add this to my regular total for sure! Thank you.
Jen says
Youโre so welcome Sheila, Iโm so pleased to hear it will be on repeat! Mango makes everything better!
Donna says
Help! I donโt have chipotle powder on hand, is there another โpepperโ I can use? Cayenne? Regular chili powder? Jalapeno?
Jen says
Hi Donna, yes! You can use a pinch of cayenne and add more to taste (it is much spicier than chipotle). Enjoy!
Ashley says
Going to make this soon, do you think I can sub strawberries for the mango?
Jen says
Absolutely!
Kathy says
Oh my gosh, I cannot say how much I love this salad! First of all, the dressing is SO good. I used avocado oil in itโฆ.just because I prefer it over olive oil. I plan to use this dressing on other salads. The ingredients for the salad are all so fresh. I took this for a potluck lunch at church and it was almost all cleaned up. I got to bring a small amount home which was eaten the next day. A plus is that my husband liked this as much as I did. Thank you for this recipe. I plan to make it on a regular basis.
Jen says
Iโll have to try it with avocado oil! I am so glad that the salad and dressing are winners!