Eating the rainbow just got easier with this DELICIOUS Summer Orzo Salad! It’s perfect as a sharable side dish for your next backyard party or as a tasty pasta salad to serve with lunch or dinner.
This healthy Summer Orzo Salad is a party on a plate!
You can use any veggie you’d like here and the mix-in options are deliciously endless.
For this Summery spin on orzo pasta salad, I went with a medley of chickpeas, feta, tomatoes, bell pepper, and red onion.
Other tasty options include olives, pickled banana peppers, white or green onion, sweet corn, cucumber, kale, and spinach. Mix and match your favorite veggies to make an orzo salad that’s deliciously custom and crave-worthy!
Orzo Pasta Salad Serving Suggestions
Pasta salad is a party, picnic, and barbecue staple pretty much year-round and this awesome orzo salad is no exception.
It makes a delicious side dish for burgers or veggie burgers as well as grilled protein such as steak, salmon, chicken. Orzo pasta salad is also amazing with sandwiches of all shapes and sizes and always tastes amazing nestled up to a creamy potato salad or a side of grilled vegetables.
The pasta-bilities are endless.
Summer Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta
Depending on how much you need, you can 100% double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd.
This Summer Orzo Pasta Salad can easily be made the night before (hellooo meal prep!) and tastes great served chilled right from the fridge.
Simply store leftovers in a lidded container in the fridge and dive in whenever you need a simple salad for lunch or a side dish to go with dinner. Enjoy!
Summer Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta
Eating the rainbow just got easier with this DELICIOUS Summer Orzo Salad! It's perfect as a sharable side dish for your next backyard party or as a tasty pasta salad to serve with lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dry orzo pasta
- 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed) approx. 15 oz
- 2 cups chopped bell pepper or sweet mini peppers (any colors)
- 1-2 cups chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese plus extra to taste
- optional fresh parsley or dill to garnish
EASY HOMEMADE DRESSING
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 2 TBSP red wine vinegar , to taste
- ½ tsp fresh minced or pressed garlic
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried basil and/or dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add dry orzo pasta and a pinch of salt and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain and rinse in a fine colander or sieve with cold water to halt the cooking process. Add pasta to a large bowl and set aside.
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To speed things up while your noodles cook, chop your veggies and make the dressing.
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For the dressing, combine ingredients in a lidded jar and shake vigorously to combine. Allow to sit while you toss together your salad, then shake again before serving. Alternatively you can whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl.
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Add all your veggies to the orzo. Re-mix dressing and add to the salad. mix well and top with crumbled feta and optional fresh herbs.
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This salad may be enjoyed right away (room temperature) or chilled briefly before serving. Both options are delicious!
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See notes below for more tasty veggie options to mix and match as well as make ahead tips.
Recipe Notes
Making this salad ahead of time? It’s great the next day and fabulous in packed lunches for work, school, or picnics.
If you plan on adding extra veggies or keeping it for a few days in the fridge, simply make a little extra dressing to drizzle over the salad the next day, as the pasta will soak up a some of the dressing while it chills. SO GOOD!
Other tasty mix-in options include pickled banana peppers, olives, white or green onion in place of red onion, sweet corn, cucumber, kale, and spinach. Mix and match your favorite veggies to make an orzo salad that’s deliciously custom!
Nutrition facts below are an estimate for salad and dressing provided by an online nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!
If you get a chance to try this Summer Orzo Salad recipe, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
More Awesome Orzo Recipes
- One Pot Orzo Pasta with Garlic, Parmesan, and Mushrooms
- Easy Orzo Pasta Salad with Edamame
- One-Pot Creamy Tomato Orzo
- Chickpea Lemon Orzo Soup – SO GOOD!
- Creamy Shrimp Scampi with Orzo via Olive and Mango
- READER FAVORITE: One-Pot Orzo Vegetable Soup
Jen
This is absolutely amazing! It is a nice, cool, crisp dish that can be an easy side or a main dish. I am in love with it!
Jenn
So happy you enjoyed it! Thanks, Jen!