Easy Orzo Pasta Salad Main Dishes
Orzo Pasta Salad is a fun Mediterranean twist on a classic pasta salad recipe. Tomatoes, spinach, and garbanzo beans are all tossed in a lemony dressing that perfectly complements these flavors!
This orzo pasta salad is a fresh, tangy and tasty recipe. Serve with grilled chicken, pork chops or any roasted meats. It’s the perfect summery side dish to bring to any picnic or backyard barbecue.
What’s in Orzo Pasta Salad?
- ORZO: The foundation ingredient here is orzo, which is pasta shaped Like large grains of rice. It’s great for salads as it absorbs the dressing and pleasant chewy texture too.
- VEGGIES: Juicy tomatoes and fresh spinach are great in this recipe but you can add your favorite crisp and crunchy veggies.
- CHICKPEAS: Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) add texture and protein to this salad (but they aren’t the base of the salad Enjoy 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. You can use any vinaigrette for an Orzo Pasta Salad.
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 and toss with dressing. Season to taste.
Refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Re-toss a couple of times to recoat.
Can You Make Orzo Pasta Salad in Advance?
This salad contains lots of fresh ingredients, but they can easily be prepared ahead of time. Wash the spinach and veggies and place in a small container.
Cook the orzo and rinse under cold water to stop it from cooking. Whisk dressing ingredients and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
To serve, slice tomatoes and chop spinach. Toss all ingredients together as directed.
Got Leftovers?
Orzo pasta salad will keep in the refrigerator overnight and will last a couple of days (the tomatoes may weep a little). Fully prepared, it is definitely not a good candidate for the freezer. With a salad this tasty, you probably won’t have leftovers to worry about anyways!
In this space, I am always sharing flavorful, fresh, (mostly) healthy recipes that I love to make and eat in my real, actual, every day life. If I wouldn’t eat it in real life, I won’t put in on the blog. You’re cooking for yourself, your family, your roommates, or your friends. I want you to be so excited about these recipes that you eagerly await 5pm when you can go home from work and start cooking.
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
Review Recipe
Easy Orzo Pasta Salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
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
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Instructions
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Cook orzo until tender. Cool.
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Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk.
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Combine orzo with remaining salad ingredients.
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Toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper.
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Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Easy Orzo Pasta Salad Main Dishes
