Easy Orzo Salad

I love making and taking pasta salads to potlucks, barbecues, and get togethers. They are the perfect side dish for sharing. This Easy Orzo Pasta Salad is a summertime favorite. It’s a versatile and delicious side that everyone loves! I always bring an empty bowl home–no leftovers!

This Orzo Pasta Salad is the MVP of my summer with chickpeas, cucumber, arugula, cherry tomatoes…all coated in a delicious and bright homemade dressing! It’s a summer favorite, but is good all year around. You can’t go wrong with this recipe, anytime of the year.

What is Orzo?

Orzo is a really tiny, short pasta. It’s shaped like large grains of rice, but a little thicker. It’s easy to cook and is great in salads or with served with pesto or marinara sauce. You can buy orzo at most grocery stores, look for it in the pasta aisle.

I love it for this pasta salad because the pasta is so small you can get it in every single bite!

Salad Ingredients

The ingredients are fresh, simple, and oh so delicious! For this salad, you will need:

•  Orzo pasta– if you can’t find orzo, you can use another small pasta. Farro or quinoa would also be good!
•  Arugula (can use spinach or chopped kale)
•  English cucumber
•  Grape tomatoes
•  Chickpeas (white beans or shredded chicken would be good too)
•  Red onion
•  Feta cheese (can use goat cheese or Parmesan cheese)
•  Fresh basil (feel free to throw in extra herbs like parsley or mint)

Simple Dressing

Homemade salad dressings are actually SO simple to make and they really take your home cooking to the next level. Don’t be intimidated–it’s just measuring and whisking!

In a medium bowl (or even a Mason jar!), combine:

• Olive oil
• Lemon juice (make sure you use fresh lemon juice)
• Golden balsamic vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
• Honey (can use maple syrup)
• Minced garlic 
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Orzo Salad

Just a couple steps to the most delicious Orzo Pasta Salad ever!

• Start with boiling a pan of salty water. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until it’s al dente.
• Drain and rinse! Give the pasta a rinse in cold water and move it into a large bowl.
• Add the arugula (or spinach), cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, feta, and basil to the orzo and stir it gently, then drizzle the dressing over the top and stir it again. 

Variations

Feel free to customize this pasta salad to your liking!

• Instead of arugula, use spinach, kale, or your favorite greens.
• Add chicken or shrimp!
• Instead of feta cheese, use goat cheese, Parmesan cheese, or even blue cheese. You can also omit the cheese if you need the salad to be dairy-free.
• Toss in almonds, pecans, pistachios, pepitas, or sunflower seeds.
• Bring on the veggies. Feel free to stir in extra veggies!
• Add in fresh mint or Italian parsley.
• My basil vinaigrette and balsamic vinaigrette are also really good with this salad.

Can I Make the Salad in Advance?

Yes! Up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This is a great recipe to make in the morning and have on hand for an easy side dish or even to eat for lunch.

You can make and keep the dressing in the fridge for up to one week. Give it a good whisk before drizzling it over the salad.

What to Serve with Orzo Salad

This simple salad is a great side dish to really any meal, but here are a few of our favorites.

• Honey Mustard Chicken
• Steak Kabobs
• Greek Turkey Meatballs
• Lemon Butter Chicken
• Pistachio Crusted Baked Salmon
• Soy Ginger Chicken
• Greek Chicken Kabobs

More Orzo Salad Recipes

• Roasted Cauliflower Feta and Orzo Salad
• Greek Tortellini Salad
• Orzo Salad with Grapes, Arugula, & Feta
• Roasted Butternut Squash Orzo Salad
• Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Cucumbers, Lemon, Dill, & Feta

Salads

Orzo Salad

This Easy Orzo Salad is light, fresh, and filled with veggies, chickpeas, and fresh herbs. It will quickly become a go-to pasta salad in your house!

4.78 from 35 votes

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

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For the Orzo Salad:

• 12 ounces orzo pasta
• 2 heaping cups arugula or baby spinach
• 1 English cucumber, chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 15 ounces chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• ½ small red onion, diced
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil

For the Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (1 large lemon)
• 1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

 

• In a large saucepan, bring salted water to a boil and cook the orzo until al dente, according to package instructions.
• While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
• Drain the orzo in a strainer and rinse well with cold water. Pour the cooked orzo in a large bowl.
• Add the arugula (or spinach), cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, feta, and basil to the orzo and gently stir. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and stir again. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

The salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 8mg, Sodium: 116mg, Potassium: 465mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 677IU, Vitamin C: 12mg, Calcium: 97mg, Iron: 2mg

Have you tried this recipe?

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