This Chopped Salad made with Orzo and Corn is a refreshing salad loaded with fresh veggies and bacon, drizzled with an easy lemon vinaigrette, ready in just 30 minutes!
What can I say? I’m a salad gal through and through, I like to bulk mine up and pack them full of super fresh and refreshing ingredients. This salad is a meal on its own and I can eat lots of it, a couple of those plates with no issues.
Because sometimes, not often — or maybe too often with me, you just hit on something so good, you just can’t stop eating. Whoever said salad was boring has not tried this one, believe me it has everything you’ve ever needed and more.
What exactly is orzo?
I decided to add some orzo to this salad to bulk it up a bit, but what is orzo? Orzo is a small cut pasta that tastes heavenly in anything from creamy dreamy entrees to super fresh salads just like the one I’m writing out for you all today. It packs some good protein and pairs well with a good variety of veggies, I’ll be sure to give you some good recommendations below. This dish is absolutely divine and I can’t wait to show it to you all today!
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make these chops! Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for the correct amounts or click on ‘Jump To Recipe’ at the top of this post.
Salad
- Orzo – This small shaped pasta is adding some chew and needed starch to our salad, if you’d prefer to cut down on carbs feel free to omit it.
- Bacon – Because bacon makes everything better, even salad.
- Veggies – Boston lettuce, bell pepper, english cucumber, corn – either canned or frozen, and chopped tomato.
- Cheese – Fresh cheddar shredded up so that every bite packs a cheesy chew.
- Herbs – Fresh parsley and green onion chopped up.
Dressing
- Lemon – Fresh lemon juice to give our dressing that much needed acid. Fresh is a must from 2 lemons.
- Olive oil – Feel free to use some of the good stuff as we aren’t cooking with our oil today, instead it’s forming the base of our dressing.
- Vinegar – I always bulk up the acidity and round it out a bit with some nice balsamic vinegar.
- Spices – Garlic powder and red pepper flakes are all we need for this super simple and completely addicting salad dressing.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper to taste.
What else can I add
There are lots of ingredients you can use in this salad! I think that how it stands right at this moment is beyond perfection, but if you’d like to add some ingredients you have sitting around your fridge, then who am I to stop you!
- Carrots
- Nuts like almonds or cashews
- Pepitas
- Mint
- Basil
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Edamame
How to make Chopped Salad
- Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Let it cool before using.
- Roast the corn: In a pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the corn kernels. Cook them for about 5 minutes or until they start slightly browning/charring.
- Assemble: In a large bowl add the lettuce, orzo, corn, chopped bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, bell pepper, parsley and cheddar cheese. Toss everything together. In a small bowl whisk all the dressing ingredients together until it starts to emulsify, then pour over the salad and toss.
Chop your ingredients properly
There are 2 different ways to chop up your ingredients in this salad and they depend on what function your ingredient is serving. Is it adding bulk and texture like the tomato and cucumber? Then chop into bigger bite sized pieces.
Is the ingredient adding flavor like parsley or green onion? Then chop more finely so that each bite is infused with all that herby goodness. This rule applies to most dishes, so apply this to your future recipes!
Leftovers
You can refrigerate this salad in an airtight container for up to a day. Unfortunately this salad doesn’t store super well so make it fresh! Believe me, you’ll thank me later.
Craving more super fresh salads?
- Black Bean Corn Avocado Salad
- Easy Summer Fruit Salad
- Cowboy Pasta Salad
- Avocado Shrimp Salsa
- Avocado Tuna Salad
- Kale Salad With Blueberry Vinaigrette
- Thai Chicken Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
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Chopped Salad with Orzo and Corn
Ingredients
- 1 boston lettuce chopped
- 1 cup orzo uncooked
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup corn kernels canned or frozen
- 4 slices bacon fried and chopped
- 2 cups tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 3/4 cup cheddar cheese shredded
For Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed, from 2 lemons
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Let cook before using.
- In a pan heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the corn kernels. Cook them for about 5 minutes or until they start slightly browning/charring.
- In a large bowl add the lettuce, orzo, corn, chopped bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, bell pepper, parsley and cheddar cheese. Toss everything together.
- In a small bowl whisk all the dressing ingredients together until it starts to emulsify, then pour over the salad and toss.
Recipe Notes
- You can refrigerate this salad in an airtight container for up to a day. Unfortunately this salad doesn’t store super well so make it fresh! Believe me, you’ll thank me later.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Lovely salad. Used risoni in place of orzo. Added some chick peas. Didn’t realise until after dinner that I forgot to add the cheese! Will make sure I do that next time! My mother has already asked me to make this for her Boxing Day barbecue. She also took home the leftovers from tonight! Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
This came out really well. I followed the recipe exactly and then added about a cup of baby spinach. I included some drained black beans and a can of baby corn, halved, in it. Everyone liked it! Great summer salad. Thanks a lot for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Glad you liked it. 🙂