Orzo Pasta Salad
A total summer staple, this amazing orzo pasta salad is loaded with vegetables, amazing orzo pasta, and a totally delicious lemon vinaigrette.
With crunch, flavor, and ease, this will be your go to all summer. As a side, as a main, as a snack.
Add some grilled all purpose chicken or lemon rosemary marinated chicken to make it a main dish.
I can’t wait for summer. I need the heat. The fresh produce. The sunshine.
One of my favorite parts of summer is the amazing food. Barbequing in the back yard, eating tomatoes off the vine, and just tasting that fresh, light goodness that is summer food.
I just got back from a very cold trip in Europe, where I got to visit Christmas Markets, and eat all the food. Then I came home to snow in Utah. And I was feeling a little blue about the weather. So I decided to do something about it, and pretend it is summer with a veggie packed, light and tasty, pasta salad.
This salad is loaded with all my favorite veggies, and topped with a really nice light lemon vinaigrette to keep it fresh. I don’t even love pasta salad, but I couldn’t get enough. It certainly hit the spot for me in my fake-summer eating quest.
When I made this, I started my pasta, and while it was boiling (takes about 9 minutes), I started washing and chopping veggies. This is a pasta salad, so really any veggies you have will do, but I loved this flavor combination. The sweet mini peppers added so much, and the radish gave it crunch and flavor. Trust me when I say it is a winning combo! At the end, I ground a little black pepper to put over the top because I love pepper! But that is optional.
Serve as a Side For:
Favorite Side Dishes
Other great ways to use Orzo:
Orzo Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 2 cups orzo pasta cooked
- 3 radishes cut into small slices
- 10 grape tomatoes quartered
- 1/2 cup cucumber diced
- 1/2 cup cauliflower cut small
- 1/3 cup red onion diced small
- 1/3 cup sweet mini peppers sliced (red, orange, and yellow, 1 each)
Dressing
- 2 Tbs Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 2 Tbs Fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced (about 1 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/3 cup Olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Cook the orzo pasta according to package directions and and put it in the refrigerator to cool. (Takes about 9 minutes to cook)
- Wash and chop all the vegetables, cut vegetables to a uniform size.
- Mix veggies and pasta together in a large bowl, and set aside.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a bowl until emulsified
- Pour desired amount of dressing over top, and stir well. If making ahead, reserve some dressing to refresh and rehydrate before serving.
- Serve chilled
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Miz Helen says
Hi Rachael,
This is a great spring salad that we will really enjoy! Thank you so much for sharing your special recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen