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This orzo salad is made with fresh veggies and chickpeas all tossed in a zingy lemon vinaigrette. A healthy and refreshing pasta salad that will make everyone come back for seconds.
If you love Mediterranean flavors, then you will absolutely enjoy this easy-to-make orzo pasta salad.
Cook the orzo, mix in some chopped veggies, add chickpeas for protein, mix in the delicious Greek-style marinade, and your healthy pasta salad is ready.
Why this recipe works
- Takes less than 10 minutes to make. Considering the fact that orzo takes around 8 minutes to cook and you can prep the remaining ingredients while it cooks, this salad can be made in under 10 minutes (just like our rice salad!).
- A versatile side dish. This orzo salad goes well with a variety of main dishes, including chicken, fish, and steak. If you are not feeling too hungry, you can even eat this salad as your main dish.
- Customizable. Not only can you add your favorite ingredients to this salad but you can also make it gluten-free by using gluten-free orzo and vegan by leaving out the feta cheese.
Not all pasta salads are good. If you have tried pasta salads in the past and didn’t like them, we highly recommend you give this one a try as it will surely change your mind.
What is orzo salad made of?
Both the salad base and the dressing use simple pantry-staple ingredients that you’ll likely have on hand. Here is what you’ll need:
- Orzo. Choose orzo made from whole-grain flour as it is a lot healthier than orzo made from white flour.
- Cucumber. Chopped cucumber for freshness and some crunch.
- Tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes cut in half. You can use other tomato varieties too but make sure they are not too watery.
- Chickpeas. Canned or freshly cooked. Using canned chickpeas is a lot easier as you only need to drain them.
- Onion. I prefer using red onion as it has a milder flavor.
- Feta cheese. To crumble into the salad.
- Parsley. Finely chopped.
- Pesto. Homemade or store-bought. To change things up, we like to use a sun dried tomato pesto.
For the Greek dressing:
- Olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is best for salad dressings.
- Lemon juice. To create a bright and citrusy flavor.
- Vinegar. To balance out the flavors of the dressing. Red wine vinegar will work well for this recipe.
- Oregano. The perfect dried herb to use in this Mediterranean-style pasta salad.
- Salt. To taste.
How to make orzo pasta salad
Considering the fact that orzo takes less than 10 minutes to cook, making this salad is not only easy but also quite quick. Ready to make some salad?
Step 1 – Cook the orzo
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the orzo until al dente. Then drain it and set it aside.
Step 2 – Make the dressing
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, and salt. Mix until fully combined.
Step 3 – Combine all ingredients and serve
Stir pesto through the cooked orzo. Add the pasta to a large bowl and mix in the chickpeas, chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and crumbled feta cheese. Add the salad dressing, mix well, and serve.
Flavor variations
To keep the Greek/Mediterranean inspiration, here are some ideas to change up the flavor, without sacrificing taste:
- Add olives. Green or Kalamata olives added to this salad will enhance its Mediterranean feel and will make the overall taste of the salad brighter and richer.
- Chop in some bell peppers. Adding chopped bell peppers to this salad will not only make it more colorful and vibrant but will add a good amount of vitamins too.
- Sprinkle with pine nuts. Toasted pine nuts will add a nice nutty flavor to the salad and some heart-healthy fats.
- Swap chickpeas for beans. Chickpeas are a great source of protein. But not everyone likes them. If you don’t like chickpeas in your food, use white beans instead.
Tips to make the best recipe
- Rinse the orzo. When making salads, rinse the orzo after cooking it. Rinsing removes the starchy layer from pasta and helps the sauce stick to it a lot better.
- Use freshly made pesto. If you have time, whip up your own pesto. The flavor of homemade pesto is always a lot brighter and lighter.
- Use Greek salad dressing. Store-bought Greek salad dressing will work well for this recipe in case you want to spend less time cooking. A Greek dressing is typically a combination of olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, and oregano.
Storage instructions
Store leftover orzo salad in the fridge in an airtight container. While this salad can be safely kept in the fridge for up to 4 days, it is best to eat it within 2 days while the veggies are fresh and crunchy.
More salad recipes to try
Frequently asked questions
No pasta is bad for you if consumed in moderation. But whole-grain pasta, including orzo, is a lot healthier. Whole-grain orzo is lower in calories, and higher in fiber, protein, and minerals.
Italians call orzo risoni. The word risoni translates into ‘big rice’. With this said, orzo is an Italian word too and means barley.
Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces orzo dry weight
- 1 small cucumber chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup canned chickpeas drained
- 1/4 small red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/3 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup pesto
Instructions
- Cook the orzo in a pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients until combined.
- Mix the pesto through the cooked orzo. Add it to a large bowl, along with the remaining salad ingredients, and mix well.
- Add the dressing and mix everything together until combined.
Delicious. I made the dressing in mini food processor using whole half of lemon and basil and oregano instead of pesto because I am on a lower sodium diet. It tastes very lemony and authentic.
That looks and sounds incredible! I love that it’s vegan too! My fave salad is one that somebody else makes for me… 😉
Hahahaha mine too!
You had me at sweet potato…
I have many at sweet potato!
Love this! Such a nice dish for the summer. Also, I’m a (never-recovering) pestoholic, so yes…I’m drooling! 🙂
GOOD! You will love a recipe I have coming up!
Can you occasionally (or all the time) tell us what you would have preferred to name your recipes? That way, you can be up to speed with SEO and we get to experience your humor! P.S. I LOVE COLAVITA OLIVE OIL. That is all.
Hahahahaha thanks Jess. Will do.
How good is it? It’s the only olive oil I’d eat by the spoon!
I have never used orzo before, but now I have a reason. This looks amazing!
Thanks so much- Promise it’s delicious!
Last week’s meals featured some crockpot pesto chicken. Next time I need to get my pesto fill, I can get it from this side dish. Boom!
Dude, I have a crockpot pesto chicken recipe to come!
This recipe has two of my favorite things, sweet potatoes and pesto, so I know that it has to taste amazing. I totally agree, coming up with a name for recipes can be daunting.
I have a recipe you will adore coming up! 😀
Psssh I’d sell my family for this…kidding (kinda)! This looks delicious. I always forget about orzo when I’m thinking about grains, time to stock up on a packet methinks! If I’m grilling, nothing goes down quite like potatoes- grilled, fried or in salad form….they gotta be present!
so so true! I miss my white potatoes!
I’ve never had pesto before (the whole dairy shenanigans), but have been looking for a recipe that doesn’t include an amount of pine nuts that cost the equivalent of a small island off of Puerto Rico or some kind weird Amazonian herb. TO THE STORE!
you NEED to try this pesto- Dairy free and delicious!
I love pesto and I love sweet potatoes, yet I never thought of pairing them in one dish. Thanks for the inspiration my friend!
No worries mate! I have an epic recipe coming up with those two! 😀
So clever to think of putting sweet potato in there! Do australians call it kumara too? I always feel weird saying sweet potato when I grew up saying kumara!
Ps Pesto is the besto! (Yes that is a Frinds references… Like 90% of the things I say 🙂 ).
Ohhh I never got into friends- Jennifer Anniston made me want to throw a pie at her!
Not only do you make delicious and healthy desserts, but you’re good at making real food. I’m impressed, Arman! lol I love incorporating orzo in salads, but I’ve never mixed it with sweet potatoes. Moreover, I’ve never marinated it either. That’s such a lovely idea – good job! P.S. What’s for dessert? 🙂
Hahahaha desserts are real food!!! You need to try marinated potatoes- SO good!
My favorite kind of salad is any pasta salad that features a cartoon character as the pasta shape. There is no way not to be happy while eating it 🙂
Nice! hope you enjoy those!
White truffle balsamic glace? Faaaaaancy. Here’s the part where I admit that I don’t think I’ve ever had truffle anything before… aside from the chocolate ones 😛 And I’d sell my sister for this. If I had one.
Hahahahaha. SO fancy that it came from a bottle lol!
You have sisters. Your mum just didn’t tell you 😉
This recipe is right up my ally. I love the use of cashews for an added bit of crunch. Also, I just so happen to have all these ingredients so I will for sure be making it.
Hahahaha. I almost peed myself laughing at that. Truth.
I love all the words in here which means I will love this recipe as well. Anything with pesto in it must be mine. This weekend I made homemade pesto and mixed it with ground beef. Then I added it to some pasta with marinara sauce and everything was right with the world.
Oh that sounds delicious! I’ve been experimenting with pesto and cannot get enough of it!
I know I’m supposed to say something quippy and delightful but honestly I’m just blown away at how good this looks! You are so good at flavor/food combinations. I’m gonna pin this now! Thank you love!
Thanks buddy! You will love this. I’d swap this for your quiche!
I LOVE orzo. I want this exact thing for lunch today, okay?
Fine. FINE.
Perfect! Lovely and healthy side dish to bring to our next BBQ!
Thanks Gwen! Please do! 🙂
I can’t believe I’m about to say this about a recipe that doesn’t contain meat, but this looks like one of the best recipes you’ve ever posted! Drooling!
Thanks Tara! It’s pretty amazing!
‘no bake cookies which make you want to sell your own sister’
Stop it. I am at work. I just spit on my screen.
Truffle Balsamic Glace?? Are you kidding me?
I need to move.
LOL. That’s our new hashtag.
The glace is amazing!!!!
Is it bad that I’ve never tried orzo yet? LOL XD should probably do that!
Not bad at all, there are tons of food out there to try!
I’d sell my brother for this. No questions asked. Sweet potatoes are my EVERYTHING.
That is why your full of beta carotene!
I love anything with sweet potatoes. Yum! The texture in this dish is so up my alley 🙂
It’s SO good, Meredith! Promise!
Haha, I am the exact same when it comes to naming recipes. I don’t want to think about SEO, but it’s something we have to be.
Haha, I guess so!
We make an orzo summer salad around here that would make me want to sell my sister, but I’ve never thought about adding pesto and sweet potatoes…that would make me want to sell everything! Seriously, just me, a cardboard box and a big bowl of this pesto orzo salad and I would be a happy camper! 🙂
Ohhhhh nice one! Let’s just sell our sisters and have orzo salads for life!
Never would have really put pesto and sweet potato into the same grouping, but it seems like I should be! You make this recipe look so incredibly delicious!
Thanks heaps, Cyrus! Appreciate it!
love the idea of this salad..but again i love anything with pesto.
True, I could live off pesto!
I don’t think that people understand how good sweet potatoes and pesto are together. Thank you for showing them otherwise!!
um, i eating that right now for lunch with beets too. Minus the orzo. Arman, get your fancy pants over here with the orzo!
Coming without pants. IT’s too hot!
RIGHT? Such an epic duo!
Love pesto, love sweet potato, and you made it gluten free for me 🙂 Looks awesome as usual!
Thanks Michele! It’s so good, even with bacon 😉