Zippy Orzo Summer Salad

Hands holding Orzo Summer Salad with a fork.

Summer, summer, summerrrr.

This salad screams all things summer at me, and I am happy about it.

Currently, as I write this post, we are getting ready to pack up and head to the cabin with my family for a few days. Which also screams summer. If you live in the Midwest and you do the “up north” thing, you totally know this scene:

Cleaning out the fridge. Trying to locate your beach towels and swimsuit after 11 1/2 months in storage. Running the dishwasher and taking out the garbage. Sending bae to Caribou for a rooibos tea latte with almond milk (heyyy caffeine free) to sustain your packing energy. Without caffeine.

Doing a mental run-through on all electronic devices and related chargers – and this includes very important food electronics such as a blender and a spiralizer and a food processor because you know for a fact that there will be no such foodie luxuries at the cabin and you are confident enough to embrace your high maintenance food-loving ways. Planning to wear a cute outfit and do your hair but realizing you said you were going to leave an hour ago and you really don’t have time for that – plus, let’s be real, it’s the cabin and the only people you will see up there are, well, you won’t see anyone. Washing the sheets and making the bed so that you don’t hate life when you come back home again. Making sure you have that stuff that warm weather dwelling people wear when they go out in the sun – what do they call that again? Oh yeah, sunscreen. Do we even own sunscreen?

Packing up a cooler with odds and ends from the fridge or freezer that might be able to be made into a meal, because you are Midwestern and you are scrappy above all else. And finally, shoving a mash up of winter, fall, and summer clothing into a suitcase (up north can get cold, as you know) and grabbing your sunnies and running out the door, getting in the car, and driving off into the great UP NORTH LAND.

And then inevitably realizing you forgot something super important (no but seriously! it’s going to be such a long week without your almond butter) and then going back, and then leaving for real this time.

Orzo Summer Salad in a bowl with a fork.

In the midst of all this pre-cabin chaos, we have THIS SALAD.

It’s very possible that I loved this salad so much because I was enormously hungry when I ate it last night amidst all the pre-trip planning and packing and last-minute chaos, but I also think I love it because it just completely embodies summer.

Two bowls of Orzo Summer Salad with forks.

It’s fresh dill. AHHHHHHH fresh dill! I sort of forgot about dill for a few years there, but wow. Its flavor is nothing short of fresh and cooling and miraculous.

On top of the dill, it’s rotisserie chicken cut up into tiny pieces because you are in pre-cabin mode and rotisserie chicken is delicious. Go with it.

And because it’s summer and veggies taste better this time of year, it’s cucumbers and spinach and fresh sweet corn and just a little bit of that garlic bite that we love.

But in an effort not to get too veggie up in the house, it’s also goat cheese and WHOLE WHEAT ORZO. I have never in my life had whole wheat orzo until this moment and it is just everything. I literally stood over the stove just eating it, tossed with some straight up lemon juice olive oil sea salt magic, feeling only happy things because it’s whole wheat and it is the most fun shape/texture and it’s being paired with delicious whole foods and vegetables. Also see note about being enormously hungry.

So naturally, let’s finish it off with a heavy handed drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil sprinkled with salt and pepp. Right? SO RIGHT.

I hope you’re celebrating summer, whether it’s by going to the cabin to relax for a few days and/or making this salad in between all your rushing around.

Summer = this orzo salad = joy.