J. Alexander’s Wild Rice Orzo Salad is fresh and full of flavor! Years ago I recreated an incredible side dish from a nearby restaurant, and to this day is one one of my all-time favorites! A blend of wild rice, orzo and red winter wheat berries with bell peppers, sweet corn, currants and toasted almonds is tossed in a herb-y champagne vinaigrette. Serve this with salmon or shrimp, grilled chicken or as a meatless side dish.
Yields 16 (1-cup) servings.

J. Alexander's Wild Rice Orzo Salad

One of my favorite summer salads is the one you see below, with it’s abundance of ingredients and confetti colors.

This is actually one of the first recipes I ever blogged. If you were to dig deep into the archives, you’ll see that it’s from way back in 2010, the writing is horrid and that I use way too many exclamation points. Oh wait, I still do. Ha. (Struggling not to insert these —>!!!)

If I close my eyes I can still remember blogging that first post. My bff Nichole helping me chop (at the time I owned one knife and one cutting board) and mince and whisk, while I snapped photos with my crappy Canon point-and-shoot. I felt so professional. Never mind that the photos are shoddy, blurry, totally unappetizing and have since been deleted- at the time I thought they were AH-MAZING! They were so not.

J. Alexander's Wild Rice Orzo Salad

This time around, I’m giving my beloved wild rice orzo salad a redo with better photos, more precise, accurate and fresh ingredients and still keeping the same great, colorful, healthy and delicious salad.

There is a lot of texture and flavor happening here. From the crunch of the peppers and almonds, the wholesome flavor of the rice and wheat berries… and that dressing! I think this salad benefits from some time in the fridge, I try to make it far enough in advance that it can chill for a few hours.

Serve this wild rice orzo salad as a side to salmon or shrimp, grilled chicken or as a meatless main dish.

ingredients for J. Alexander's Wild Rice Orzo Salad

To Make This J. Alexander’s Will Rice Orzo Salad You Will Need:

for the dressing:

  • basil (fresh) – For bright herbaceous flavor.
  • oregano (fresh) – Adds a distinct earthy and slightly bitter flavor.
  • thyme (fresh) – Has an earthy, slightly minty and lemony flavor.
  • garlic – Adds distinct punchy flavor.
  • sugar – Gives the dressing a touch of sweetness.
  • kosher salt – Helps to enhance the flavors in this recipe.
  • freshly ground black pepper – Adds some subtle bite and flavor.
  • champagne vinegar – A lighter vinegar that can be fruity, floral and with hints of vanilla.
  • olive oil – Use quality olive oil that’s meant for dipping or drizzling. I love Graza (not sponsored).

for the salad:

  • wild rice blend – Typically a mixture of black, brown, red, and wild rice.
  • red winter wheat berries – I have the hardest time finding this in stores near me. So I’ve linked it in the recipe printable.
  • orzo pasta – Delallo is my go-to brand for orzo pasta (not sponsored). It has the best shape in my opinion.
  • bell peppers – I love a rainbow of color so I use red, orange, yellow and green.
  • sweet corn – Thawed and drained of water if frozen. If using corn on the cob, cook it first before adding.
  • red onion –  Or substitute with a finely diced shallot.
  • toasted sliced almonds – May substitute with sunflower seeds if allergic.
  • zante currants – Can substitute with chopped raisins if you can’t find currants.
  • parsley – Adds an additional pop of color.

make the dressing

Make The Dressing:

Start by grabbing a bowl, jar or whatever you’ve got; and add 1 tablespoon of thinly sliced basil, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano and 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, grate in a medium clove of garlic (about 3/4 of a teaspoon), 1-1/2 tablespoons of sugar (or honey) to sweeten the dressing a smidge.  Then pour in 1/4 cup of champagne vinegar.

whisk to combine

Next, whisk while pouring in 1/2 cup olive oil season with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper and set aside.

add grains and pasta to a large bowl

Make The Salad:

First, into a very large bowl (you’ll need lots of room when it comes to mixing) add the 3 cups of cooked wild rice, 2 cups of the cooked red winter wheat berries and 2 cups of cook orzo. I used DeLallo brand because I think their orzo is the prettiest, all long and slender like.

NOTE: The dry measurements will be listed in the instructions. Just follow package directions for cooking.

add diced veggies, corn, currants and toasted almonds

Next add in a 1/2 cup of each color (red, orange, yellow and green) diced bell peppers, 1 cup sweet corn, 1/3 cup finely diced red onion, 1/2 cup pan-toasted sliced almonds,  1/3 cup currents. These taste similar to raisins and add the perfect touch of sweetness.

Lastly, throw in 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley.

toss to combine

Then toss these ingredients together.

pour in dressing

Next, pour in all of the champagne and herb vinaigrette…

toss one last time to combine

Then toss one more time.

J. Alexander's Wild Rice Orzo Salad

Finally it’s time to serve this salad!

For more salad inspiration, click here!

J. Alexander's Wild Rice Orzo Salad

Enjoy! And if you give this Wild Rice Orzo Salad a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

J. Alexander's Wild Rice Orzo Salad

J. Alexander's Wild Rice Orzo Salad
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Yield: 16 servings

J. Alexander's Wild Rice and Orzo Salad

J. Alexander's Wild Rice Orzo Salad made fresh and full of flavor! Years ago I recreated an incredible side dish from a nearby restaurant, and to this day is one one of my all-time favorites! A blend of wild rice, orzo and red winter wheat berries with bell peppers, sweet corn, currants and toasted almonds is tossed in a herb-y champagne vinaigrette. Serve this with salmon or shrimp, grilled chicken or as a meatless side dish.
Yields 16 (1-cup) servings.
Prep Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

FOR THE CHAMPAGNE VINAIGRETTE:

  • 1 tablespoon thinly slice fresh basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1½ tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 cup champagne vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

FOR THE SALAD:

  • 3 cups cooked wild rice blend, 1½ cups uncooked
  • 2 cups cooked red winter wheat berries, about 1 cup uncooked
  • 2 cups cooked orzo pasta, about 1 cup uncooked - I like DeLallo brand
  • 1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely diced orange bell peppers
  • 1/2 cup finely diced yellow bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
  • 1 cup corn kernels, thawed if frozen
  • 1/3 finely diced red onion
  • 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
  • 1/3 cup dried zante currants
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl add in the basil, oregano, thyme and garlic. Add in the sugar, pour in the champagne vinegar and whisk while drizzling in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and set off to the side.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked wild rice, wheat berries, orzo, peppers, corn, onion, almonds, currants and parsley. Toss to combine.
  • Pour in the champagne and herb vinaigrette, toss and either serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

To speed this up, cook the wild rice and wheat berries (separately) the day before. Before storing, measure each of the cooked grains so you know you have the right amounts. This will save you a lot of time when it comes to making the salad the day of.
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 216kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Sodium: 98mg, Potassium: 155mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 420IU, Vitamin C: 26mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 1mg
Author: Laurie McNamara
Course: Salads, Side Dishes
Cuisine: American

This recipe was originally posted on April 22, 2016 and has been updated with clear and concise instructions, new photography and helpful information.