Orzo Pasta Salad is a great twist on a classic pasta salad recipe and is a perfect lunch or side dish.
Tender riced-sized pasta is tossed with fresh tomatoes, spinach, and chickpeas. It’s mixed with easy lemon dressing and topped with feta cheese for the perfect bite!
Fresh, tangy, and tasty recipe, serve it as a vegetarian main dish or alongside grilled chicken or shrimp.
Ingredients for Orzo Pasta Salad
ORZO – Since this is an orzo pasta salad, I use orzo, which is pasta shaped like large grains of rice. It can be found in the pasta aisle of almost any grocery store and it’s great for salads or cooked and served hot. Any mini pasta can be used.
VEGGIES – Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes add a tangy freshness. We also love fresh spinach (or massaged kale) in this orzo pasta salad recipe. Add in your favorite crisp and crunchy vegetables, almost anything goes.
CHICKPEAS – Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) add texture and protein to this salad (but they aren’t the base of the salad like they are in a Chickpea Salad).
BOLD FLAVORS: I add a bit of red onion and some feta cheese along with a simple zesty homemade dressing.
Variations
- add your fave veggies from chopped cauliflower to cucumbers or red bell peppers
- stir in kalamata olives, chopped artichokes, or sundried tomatoes
- before serving, sprinkle with fresh herbs like fresh mint, dill, parsley, or fresh basil
- swap the feta for goat cheese
Dressing for Orzo Pasta Salad
This dressing takes just a couple of minutes but you can use any vinaigrette for an Orzo Pasta Salad.
- Use a light flavored olive oil, extra virgin olive oil can be a bit bitter for dressings.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon honey in place of sugar if desired
- lemon zest or fresh dill can be added
- to make it fast, shake the dressing in a mason jar with a lid
To Make Orzo Pasta Salad
This orzo pasta salad is super easy to prepare.
- Whisk together orzo salad dressing ingredients.
- Cook orzo until tender, then drain and cool.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with dressing. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Make-Ahead for the Best Flavor
- Cook the orzo and rinse under cold water to stop it from cooking.
- Whisk dressing ingredients and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
- Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. Re-toss before serving.
- This salad contains lots of fresh ingredients and they will keep for a few days but it’s best served within about 48 hours.
Keep some tomatoes and feta aside for garnish if desired.
More Tasty Pasta Salads
- Bow Tie Pasta Salad – ham, peas and cheddar cheese
- Pesto Pasta Salad – ready in 20 mins!
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad – Fresh and flavorful!
- BLT Pasta Salad– bacon, cheese, and a cool ranch dressing!
- Easy Greek Pasta Salad – 5 fresh greek veggies!
- Italian Pasta Salad – perfect made ahead side dish
Easy Orzo Pasta Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups orzo
- 15 ounces garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup red onion finely chopped
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 1 ½ cups tomatoes diced
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Cook orzo until tender. Cool.
- Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk.
- Combine orzo with remaining salad ingredients.
- Toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pasta, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Mediterranean© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I do something very similar. This one looks very good, too.
The only real difference is I add some marinated artichoke hearts, diced cucumber, and either capers or kalamata olives. I just like more veggies in mine.
Yummy! Your version sounds delicious J!
I have made this for many guests and parties. Always a favorite. I double the lemon as well. Thank you!
I am so happy to hear you love this recipe Jacinta!
Orzo salad was a great recipe. A lot of flavor and very refreshing for summertime. A definite keeper! Thanks
So happy you enjoyed it, Doreen!
You don’t drain the orzo before adding other ingredients?
There is just enough liquid to cook the orzo and it absorbs.
I just made this for lunch today and it was so delicious! A great spring/summer meal- very fresh, cool, and healthy. I soaked the onions for about half an hour before adding them to the salad and I added in some cucumber, the rest of the recipe I followed exactly, including the dressing. The orzo and chickpeas were a great balance with the vegetables and the feta gave it a little saltiness. The dressing was great on top, with the fresh lemon and the slight bite from the mustard. I will definitely make this again- thank you for the great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Sophia!