Easy Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
This Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad is simple to make for a light meal or served as a side to any dish!
Servings: 4
Calories: 304.22kcal
Ingredients
Orzo Salad
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1 halved red onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 English cucumber diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup fresh dill coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil coarsely chopped
- Generous pinch of salt and black pepper plus more to taste
- ¼ cup feta cheese or leave out if vegan
Lemon Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp white balsamic vinager
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Generous pinch of salt and black pepper plus more to taste
Instructions
- Make the Orzo Pasta: Fill a medium pot with water, add a generous amount of salt, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo pasta and cook for about 8 - 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl.
- Prepare Pasta Salad: Add the diced cucumbers, red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, fresh dill and basil, feta cheese, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper to the large bowl with the cooked orzo pasta. Toss together to combine.
- Make the Lemon Dressing: Whisk the lemon juice, lemon zest, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl.
- Put it all together: Add in the Lemon Dressing to the Pasta Salad and toss everything together to combine. Refrigerate for 1-hour to allow the flavors to develop.
Notes
*Calories are per serving and are an estimation
Ingredient substitutions: If you want to use different vegetables, shaved asparagus or red bell peppers would work really well. If you want to use different cheese, try havarti cheese.
To make this a meal: For protein, I recommend grilled chicken flavored with smoked paprika. For Vegan options, I recommend roasting chickpeas with smoked paprika.
Storage: Store pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
Make it ahead: This recipe can easily be made ahead of time as the flavors develop the longer the salad chills in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 4g | Calories: 304.22kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.27g | Protein: 7.04g | Fat: 16.24g | Saturated Fat: 3.24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.73g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10.38g | Cholesterol: 8.35mg | Sodium: 117.16mg | Potassium: 260.7mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 3.42g | Vitamin A: 556.59IU | Vitamin C: 20.06mg | Calcium: 76.62mg | Iron: 1.26mg