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WW Recipe of the Day: Trisha Yearwood’s Orzo Salad Made Lighter
I turned on The Food Network this morning to discover Trisha Yearwood making a yummy looking orzo salad.
So instead of going out for lunch with Mom today, I suggested she come here.
Then after a quick trip to the grocery store for orzo (rice shaped pasta) and feta cheese, I got busy in the kitchen.
Recipe Notes
Already pretty light and healthy, I made a few minor tweaks to make this orzo salad a little more Weight Watchers friendly:
- Decreased orzo from 1-1/2 cups to 1 cup
- Increased grape tomatoes from 1-1/2 cups to 2 cups
- Decreased olive oil from 3 tablespoons to 2
- Added 1 cup chopped cucumber and 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper for more bulk
- Added 2 tablespoons chopped pepperoncini (mild Italian pickled peppers) for a little more zing
To keep things simple, I simply cooked the orzo in boiling salted water instead of chicken stock as Trisha had done.
Served with a few sautéed shrimp alongside, Mom and I both agreed that this made for a simply scrumptious lunch.
Tangy and fresh, this is definitely a salad I plan to make again.
How Many Calories and WW Points in Trisha Yearwood’s Orzo Salad Made Lighter?
According to my calculations, each 3/4 cup serving has 180 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
5 SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
5 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Recipe Variations
- Add chopped cooked chicken or shrimp to turn it into a meal in a bowl
- Add more veg to pump up the volume: Chopped red bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, canned drained artichoke hearts, peas, etc.
- Add Greek Seasoning blend
- Top with shaved Parmesan cheese
Serving Suggestions
- Burgers
- Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Pork Chops or Pork Tenderloin
- Grilled Fish or Shrimp
- Grilled Vegetables
- Roasted Chicken
More light, healthy delicious salad recipes to consider: WW Orzo Salad with Vegetables, Weight Watchers Chickpea and Feta Salad, Chicken Couscous Salad, Chopped Greek Salad, Classic Macaroni Salad Made Lighter and Healthy Crunchy Tuna Salad
If you’ve made this easy Orzo Pasta Salad, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Trisha Yearwood Orzo Salad Recipe Made Lighter
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo
- 15 ounces canned chickpeas, drained
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 20 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 2 tablespoons pepperoncini, chopped (optional)
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful fresh mint, torn
Instructions
- Cook the orzo in salted water according to the package directions until done (about 7 to 9 minutes.)
- Drain the orzo in a colander (affiliate link) and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, toss together the orzo, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, feta, olives, pepperoncini (if using), vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss in the mint.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 5 SmartPoints (Green plan) 5 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 5 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 5 PointsPlus (Old plan) Variations:
- Add chopped cooked chicken or shrimp to turn it into a meal in a bowl
- Add more veg to pump up the volume: Chopped red bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, canned drained artichoke hearts, peas, etc.
- Add Greek Seasoning blend
- Top with shaved Parmesan cheese
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: adapted from Trisha’s Table: My Feel-Good Favorites for a Balanced Life (affiliate link) by Trisha Yearwood
This is how easy it is to create your own Greek orzo salad at home:
More Weight Watchers Friendly Pasta Salad Recipes
- Summer Pasta Salad with Baby Greens (SkinnyTaste)
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad (EmilyBites)
- Ranch BLT Pasta Salad (SlenderKitchen)
- Primavera Pasta Salad with Shrimp (Cookin’Canuck)
- Pea & Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad (EatYourselfSkinny)
- Greek Orzo Pasta Salad (EmilyBites)
- BLT Macaroni Salad (SkinnyTaste)
Made this today and it was wonderful. Turned out I didn’t have any red wine vinegar so I used a Balsamic Vinaigrette, also added fresh zucchini. Thanks for all you do!
Great taste without added dalt
I’ve adapted this recipe to my family’s tastes & have made it several times. We are not fans of chickpeas so I left them out and also skipped the vinegar & oil— in my opinion it doesn’t need it! We love this dish and usually serve it with grilled chicken. YUMMY!
Martha, Thanks for taking the time to let us know!
Would love it if you included sodium count in nutritional facts. Some WW need to track that also
Just printed recipe for Trisha Yearwood orzo ww salad.. looks and sounds yummy.
This looks great! I would love to try it!
I have made this twice and it is fabulous.
I love the way you lightened this salad up and the idea of adding shrimp. I might also add red bell pepper and spinach or anything else in my fridge that would be compatible. You made it so easy, too, by putting the veggies and dressing in a bowl and then adding warm orzo. The video made it clear and easy. Thank you!
THE SKINNY ON TRISHA YEARWOOD ORZO SALAD MADE LIGHTER
I want to make this as it looks wonderful ND HEALTHY
I always look forward to receiving your emails and enjoy so many. One of my favorites is the chickpea feta salad!