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I just cannot think of a good name for this recipe so this is what I settled on. It’s not quite a grain salad, not quite a pasta salad, not quite a caprese salad, and not quite tabbouleh. What it is, is fresh, summery, flavorful, and delicious. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, maybe you have some of the ingredients in your own backyard! This Herb Garden Salad with Burrata has a base of orzo pasta and bulgar wheat tossed in a simple vinaigrette. We add TONS of fresh herbs, cherry tomatoes, and snap peas. Every salad is better with burrata, so we top each dish with a ball. So simple!
This easy dish comes together in about a half hour. You can eat it right away or chill it and eat it later. I like it best the next day because the flavors develop a little bit more. It took a couple tries to figure out what the base of the salad should be, but I ended up really liking orzo and bulgar together. Other grain combinations I tried before settling on this one were farro + hulled barley and quinoa + pearled barley… both were too nutty, too hearty. I wanted a softer mouthfeel and a more subtle flavor so that the herbs, veggies, and burrata could shine. So I thought—pasta! Orzo! But I wanted it to be soorrrrrta hearty, so I added bulgar too. Were the other grains good? Sure! If you’ve got different grains on hand that you want to use, go for it. I just liked the orzo + bulgar combo best. (Just make sure to keep in mind the different cooking times for different grains.)
And then I realized… bulgar, parsley, mint, tomato, lemon vinaigrette… I was kind of making tabbouleh. Haha! But like I said, it’s not QUITE tabbouleh. Actually I don’t even really like tabbouleh. It’s too parsley-y. That’s why I like to go heavier on basil for my herbs with just a touch of parsley and mint (plus cilantro and dill and whatever other herbs I have on hand) so that it’s a little more caprese-ish. But that’s the great thing about cooking—if you love tabbouleh and want it to be more tabbouleh-y, do more parsley and mint! Add cucumbers! Make it your own!
If you make my Herb Garden Salad with Burrata, be sure to let me know how you like it! Also… can YOU think of a more suitable name for this salad?!?? Help!!
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Herb Garden Salad with Burrata
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup orzo pasta
- ¾ cup bulgar wheat
- ~ 1 cup lightly packed fresh herbs (dill, basil, mint, cilantro, parsley—see Note), roughly chopped
- 1 cup snap peas, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 burrata balls
- salt & pepper, to taste
Vinaigrette
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1 small shallot, minced
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring about 7 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in a medium-large pot. Add bulgar and boil uncovered for 2 minutes, then add orzo and boil uncovered for 9 minutes. Strain well with a mesh strainer.
- Meanwhile, add all vinaigrette ingredients to a jar or bowl and shake/whisk until combined.
- When orzo & bulgar are cooked, transfer to a bowl and add vinaigrette, herbs, snap peas, and cherry tomatoes.
- Divide among 4 bowls, then add a burrata ball to each. Salt & pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- For the herbs, I recommend going heavy on basil so that the flavors err more towards caprese and less like tabbouleh. Unless tabbouleh is your thing. Then go heavier on parsley and mint. Or experiment and do what you want!
- If you can’t find burrata, little mozzarella balls or chopped fresh mozzarella would be great substitutes.
Keywords: caprese, tabbouleh, burrata, easy, vegetarian
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