This Orzo Salad recipe is so fresh and delicious! It’s made with orzo pasta, cucumber, tomatoes, arugula, and a zesty Lemon Basil Dressing that makes the flavors pop!
We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
Joseph Campbel
I love this orzo salad. Tender orzo is tossed with cucumbers, tomatoes, arugula, and the tastiest Lemon Basil Dressing-bright, clean flavors. It is easily one of my favorite pasta salads on the blog- so light and refreshing. The lemon basil dressing bursts with summertime goodness.
During the workweek, I love having a make-ahead salad ready to pull out of the fridge. It’s such a satisfying feeling! This is also a side dish for potlucks and gatherings, always a crowd pleaser. It’s the perfect salad for midweek lunches or as a dinner side dish alongside grilled chicken or veggie burgers!
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
It’s fast! Orzo cooks quickly- and you can prep the veggies while it cooks.
Vegan-adaptable: See all the variations below.
Great for meal prep. It can be made ahead and lasts up to 4 days in the fridge.
Perfect for entertaining. It’s the perfect side dish to bring to a gathering – always a crowd pleaser.
Orzo Salad Recipe Ingredients
- Orzo pasta - A small, tender pasta that forms the hearty base of the salad, soaking up the bright lemony dressing while still feeling light and refreshing. Feel free to use GF pasta.
- Cucumbers and cherry tomatoes - Add crisp texture, juiciness, and fresh summer flavor; Turkish cucumbers work beautifully here, but English cucumbers are an excellent substitute. Sub red bell pepper for the tomatoes!
- Baby arugula - Brings a peppery bite and fresh green color; baby spinach can be used instead for a milder flavor.
- Lemon basil dressing (fresh basil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and cracked pepper) - A vibrant, herb-forward dressing that adds brightness, richness, and fresh garden flavor to the salad.
- Optional additions (cheese, seeds, nuts, avocado, microgreens, chickpeas) - Add extra protein, texture, and richness; goat cheese, feta, shaved pecorino, or parmesan all work well depending on your preference.
Orzo Salad Instructions
Cook the orzo. Cook it in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
Make the dressing. While the orzo is cooking, blend the lemon-basil dressing in a blender or in a food processor. What gives the dressing the extra lemony kick is lemon zest from one whole lemon!
Prep any veggies you wish to add. Slice cucumbers and cut cherry tomatoes in half.
Toss the Orzo salad! Toss the cooked and cooled orzo together with the dressing and add cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.
TIP: I’ll often add a handful of arugula for color and a peppery bite. If making this ahead, wait until serving to add the arugula, so it’s fresh.
Orzo Salad Variations
- Cheese- crumbled feta cheese, goat cheese or even shaved pecorino or parmesan would be nice.
- Roasted nuts or seeds- pinenuts, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds.
- Kalamata olives, red onions or capers.
- Add protein- toss in some chickpeas or leftover rotisserie chicken for extra protein!
- Serve over a bed of greens if you like, with avocado topped with fresh herbs.
- Make it with rice or gluten-free orzo
Storage
Store this orzo salad up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If making ahead, make sure to re-taste right before serving, adjusting salt and lemon to taste.
Orzo Salad Serving Suggestions
Serve orzo salad on it’s own as a make-ahead lunch, or bring it to summering gatherings, potlucks, and picnics! Pair it with:
- The Best Grilled Chicken
- Perfect Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Corn on the Cob
- Amazing Black Bean Burgers (in under 30 mins!)
- Caprese Sandwich
- Herby Chickpea Salad Sandwich
Chef’s Tips
- If making this ahead, remember that pasta soaks up the salt- always taste it right before serving! I find pasta salads will need more salt and acid ( in this case, lemon) after they sit a while. 🙂 Add the veggies right before serving to keep them fresh and crisp.
- Don’t overcook the orzo! Orzo tends to cook quickly, so watch it carefully and cook to al dente; that way it will soak up some of the flavorful dressing.
- Salt the pasta water for the best flavor!
More Orzo Recipes To love!
Enjoy…
You may also like our Baked Feta Pasta!
Enjoy the Orzo salad, and please let us know what you think of it in the comments below. ❤️
xoxo
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Orzo Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: salad
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Orzo Salad is tossed with a lemon basil dressing, with fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and arugula. A healthy, vegan, pasta salad that can be made ahead for midweek lunches or potlucks. Keep it vegan or add feta!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta (uncooked)
- 2 Turkish cucumbers, sliced (about 2 cups) or use English cucumbers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- handful of baby arugula (optional or sub baby spinach)
Lemon Basil Dressing
- 1 cup basil ( packed down tight, about 2 ounces)
- 2 fat garlic cloves
- zest from one medium lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
Optional additions: cheese (goat, feta, shaved pecorino or parmesan), seeds, nuts, avocado, microgreens, or chickpeas
Instructions
- Cook orzo in generously salted water. Drain and rinse with cold water until cooled.
- Place basil, garlic, and lemon zest in a food processor. Pulse repeatedly until uniformly chopped. Add lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pulse a couple more times until combined, but not smooth.
- Place cooled orzo into a bowl and toss with the flavorful basil lemon sauce. Add any additions like; cherry tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, snap peas, goat cheese, avocado, nuts, seeds, arugula, etc.
- Orzo will soak up much of the salt after it sits, so make sure to taste for salt right before serving. I’ll usually add another ¼ teaspoon. Adjust the lemon, adding more to taste. If the salad tastes overly bitter ( it might be the olive oil) try adding a tiny bit of sugar- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you plan to add a lot of veggies or beans to the orzo (like, more than a cup or two) double or 1 ½ times the lemon basil dressing so your final dish still has plenty of flavor and vibrant color.
Orzo Salad will keep 4 days in the fridge
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/4 cups ( without feta)
- Calories: 233
- Sugar: 1.1 g
- Sodium: 293.1 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.6 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
I love this salad so much! Excellent flavors – and healthy.
Another winner from Feasting at Home.
Glad you gave it a try Susan!
This is amazing! Thanks so much for sharing.
Great to hear Ann-Marie!
This recipe is FANTASTIC! Whenever I makes this for a group I am always asked for the recipe! Feasting at Home recipes are my favorite to share!
Wonderful to hear this! Thanks Lori. 🙂
What a find! So fresh, vibrant, and easy. I would double the recipe for a larger crowd. I think red bell peppers would be a pretty and tasty addition.
Glad you enjoyed this Bonnie! Red peppers sound great.
Great recipe. Doubled it for Mothers Day gathering. Everyone loved it!
Great to hear Kevin! Appreciate your review.
When my daughter was in high school we made this about every other week for her school lunch. Now that she is in college and living in her first house, she has already made this a few times for her lunches. It is so fresh and delicious.
Love hearing this Joelle! Thanks for circling back and rating it for us!
We love this recipe for entertaining! It’s easy to make a day in advance and it’s full of colour and flavours. A great dish to bring to a party. If serving with goats cheese or avocado, keep those aside and add just when you’re serving the orzo on each plate so it’s doesn’t get messy.
Thanks Nelly, glad you are enjoying!
This is a great summer salad, we added uncooked asparagus tips, cucumber, pine nuts, mini colourful tomatoes and micro greens. It keeps beautifully fresh for up to 4 days!
Great to hear Nelly!
My favorite summer salad this year! So delicious!
Awesome to hear!
This recipe sounds good, however I am not a big fan of basil. What can I add instead of the basil?
Thank you.
Sure, you could do cilantro, parsley or dill maybe a combo?