This bright and refreshing lemony orzo salad is packed full of fresh vegetables and fresh flavors!
Why you'll love this recipe
- This orzo pasta salad is incredibly easy to make and is super simple to follow.
- There are a variety of different vegetables in this dish to help you hit your daily veggie quota.
- Storage and meal prepping are a breeze with this lemon orzo pasta salad. This dish holds up well in the fridge for up to five days when stored in an airtight container.
If you're looking for other delicious orzo recipes, be sure to try my Vegan Orzo Soup and my Greek Orzo Salad next!
Ingredient Notes
I try to use organic and locally sourced produce whenever possible. If you want a little more information on what makes organic produce different, check out this article from the Mayo Clinic about organic food.
Orzo: Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Option to sub a gluten-free orzo to make this a gluten-free dish.
Lemon: I love the fresh and bright flavors that the lemon brings to this lemony orzo pasta salad. Orzo salad with lemon is one of the best combinations in my opinion.
Try to use freshly squeezed lemon in this recipe for the best and freshest results.
Vegetables: I used a combination a tomato, cucumber, onion, and asparagus to add fresh flavor and textures into this dish.
Fresh Herbs: Adding fresh herbs to this recipe makes the entire dish pop with fresh flavors! I used a combination of basil and fresh rosemary.
Homemade Vinaigrette: I make a homemade lemon vinaigrette to toss the vegan orzo salad in. It is made using a combination of olive oil, freshly minced garlic (to make this delicious lemon garlic orzo, yum!)
Step-by-Step Instructions
I like to start out by making the vinaigrette and then setting it aside. Doing this first will allow plenty of time for the flavors to meld while you prepare the rest of the dish.
Next you'll cook the orzo according to the package instructions. Once it's cooked to your preference, drain and rinse under cool water.
Wash and prep all other veggies and ingredients according to the ingredient list.
Once everything is prepared and ready, combine everything into a large bowl and gently mix it all together.
For best results, wait about 30 minutes after mixing everything together. This lets the flavors do their thing and you'll have the most delicious orzo pasta salad!
Substitutions and Variations
You can swap out any of the vegetables in this recipe for ones that you have on hand. I do highly recommend for any veggie you take out, you put a new one in its place. This helps maintain a variety of flavors and textures.
Lemon Spinach Orzo: Add two cups of fresh baby spinach to this recipe for more of a true salad feel.
Lemon Asparagus Orzo: I love adding a cup of grilled, roasted, or blanched asparagus to this recipe.
Check out this recipe about how to blanch asparagus if you're unsure of how to do this.
Make it Gluten-Free: Simply swap the orzo for a gluten-free option instead to make this a gluten free orzo salad.
Make it More of a Salad: Add fresh salad greens to give this vegan orzo salad more of a "salad" feel!
Be sure to try some of my other delicious plant based recipes:
Lemon Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo uncooked
- 1 cup cucumbers diced
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes diced
- ½ cup red onion diced
- ½ cup asparagus blanched, roasted, or grilled.
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Wash and prep all produce according to the ingredient list.
- Cook the orzo according to the package instructions. After cooking drain and set aside.
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette and set aside.
- Combine all ingredients for the orzo salad in a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette on top and toss the orzo salad until full coated in the dressing.
Magdalena Maslowski says
MY ORZO IS STICKY NOT KNOWING WHY 🙁 pasta is not separated
Kelsey says
Hi, I am so sorry that is happening! I stir my pastas (orzo especially) often while cooking according to the package instructions. This will help prevent them from sticking together. Once I drain the cooked orzo I rinse it in the strainer with cool water which will also help. When you add the dressing to the orzo in the recipe it should not be sticking together after that. I hope those troubleshooting tips in the cooking process help in the future 🙂