Disney's Tusker House Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe
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We are huge Disney fans here in my house and we try to go to Walt Disney World as often as we can. A few visits ago, we made lunch reservations at the Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. While there, I must have eaten an entire pan of the orzo pasta salad. It is AMAZING!
Once I got home, I had to find a way to recreate this dish on my own. I found a few online and made some tweaks to suit my tastes. This copycat Tusker House orzo pasta salad recipe is now my go-to potluck side dish for the summer. It looks impressive and tastes so light and fresh!
Orzo is a small type of pasta that resembles giant grains of rice, making it so easy to eat in a salad. This recipe hightlights the orzo with delicious, fresh ingredients. Fresh spinach and tomatoes brighten it up, garlic and herbs give it some depth of flavor, and a sprinkling of feta and olives on top really makes the flavors pop.
While the orzo boils to a perfect al dente, chop up all your ingredients. When the pasta is done, rinse it with cold water to cool it, then start working on the sauce.
Add the oil, tomatoes, and garlic to a large pan on medium-high heat, and saute one minute until fragrant.
Add in the spinach, herbs, lemon juice, water or vegetable stock, salt, and pepper.
Stir and heat through until spinach has wilted.
Add orzo and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring as you would with a risotto, until the liquid is mostly absorbed.
Place in a serving dish and allow to cool. Garnish with olives and feta before serving.
Disney's Tusker House Orzo Pasta Salad
Our copycat version of the light and delicious orzo pasta salad served at the Tusker House in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Ingredients
- 12 oz orzo (measured before cooking)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water or vegetable stock
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 10-20 kalamata olives, sliced, for garnish
- 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- Cook orzo in boiling water 7 minutes, then drain and rinse to cool quickly.
- While orzo cooks, prep and chop the vegetables and herbs
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high and add olive oil, garlic, and tomatoes. Saute 1 minute.
- Add water/stock, spinach, salt and pepper, lemon juice, thyme, and basil. Heat through until spinach has wilted.
- Add orzo and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring as you would with a risotto, until the liquid is mostly absorbed.
- Place in a serving dish and allow to cool.
- Garnish with olives and feta before serving.
Notes
Can be made a day ahead of time and kept in the fridge until time to eat. You can also serve it immediately after cooking, if you prefer a warm salad.
One comment so far:
I love orzo, kalamatas and all the other delicious things in this dish --to be made soon