A super fresh, bright and summery Lemon Orzo Salad that is so simple and quick to make with minimal ingredients. Ready in under 15 minutes!
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Really delicious food does not have to be complicated and this Lemon Orzo Salad is proof. It's so simple and quick to make!
Featuring tender orzo, peppery arugula and a punchy lemon juice, garlic, olive oil dressing, it can be ready and on the table in just a little longer than it takes the orzo to boil.
Ingredients
The ingredients list is simple. We don't need much to deliver BIG flavor. Here's what you need:
And just a few ingredient notes:
- Orzo - Makes this salad look and feel fancier than other pasta salad recipes. It looks like grains of rice but is a type of pasta. You'll find it in small bags with the pasta at the most grocery stores.
- Arugula - My green of choice in this salad because its peppery flavor works so well with the mild orzo and the lemon. It also holds up well in the acidic dressing.
- Olive oil - With such few ingredients, quality matters. I recommend using good quality extra virgin olive oil. Its flavor makes all the difference.
How To Make Lemon Orzo Salad
Alright, shall we see how it's done:
- Make the lemon vinaigrette. Simply shake or whisk the ingredients together.
- Cook the orzo in well-salted water until al dente. It only takes 6 or 7 minutes.
- In a large bowl mix the dressing with the drained orzo. There will seem like there's a lot of dressing but don't worry. The orzo will suck it up in a few minutes.
- Add the arugula leaves along with any optional extras (see below) and toss together.
Optional Add-Ins
This simple lemon orzo pasta salad is delicious just as it is but feel free to add some optional extras. It's wonderful with some super crispy and golden vegan croutons, warm sliced vegan chicken, and some crumbled vegan cheese. Salty vegan feta is my favourite because it works so well with the sharp lemon, but you also can't go wrong with some dollops of vegan ricotta or vegan parmesan shavings.
Other additions that would work brilliantly are:
- black or Kalamata olives
- pine nuts
- chickpeas
- cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes
- fresh herbs like parsley or basil
- grilled zucchini
Serving Suggestions
Lemon Orzo Salad is the perfect side dish with your midweek meals and good for taking to picnics, potlucks and BBQs.
Enjoy as a light lunch in a bowl with some crumbles of vegan feta cheese, plenty of black pepper, and a 15-minute no-yeast flatbread. It's also really good with:
Making Ahead & Storage
If you want to make this salad ahead, I recommend prepping the individual components and waiting before tossing them together.
- Make the dressing and keep it in a jar in the fridge for up to a few days.
- Cook the orzo, drain, then toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or a tiny bit of the dressing, before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. The oil will stop the orzo clumping together. It should be ok for 2 days.
- Then toss all together with the arugula before serving.
Leftover salad will keep for 2 to 3 days in the fridge but the arugula does get a little limp. It's fine for personal use, but I'd make it fresh for guests.
Recipe FAQs
Just use gluten-free orzo! It's pretty easy to find.
You can but the dressing will be sharper. The maple syrup/sugar is used like a seasoning to provide balance.
Recipe
Lemon Orzo Salad
Author:Ingredients
For the dressing
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium lemon , the juice and finely grated zest
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup , (or 1 heaping teaspoon sugar)
- 1 small clove garlic , grated or very finely minced
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt , (plus more to salt the orzo cooking water)
- OPTIONAL ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the salad
- 2 cups (13 oz / 360 grams) orzo , uncooked (gluten-free if necessary)
- 5 to 6 cups (about 4oz/120 grams) arugula (rocket in the UK) , (1 clamshell type container usually contains about the right amount)
Optional
- vegan feta , for crumbling when serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pan of generously salted water to a boil.
- While waiting make the dressing. Add all of the ingredients to the bottom of a large salad bowl (the one you'll be making the salad in) and whisk together. You can also shake it together in a jar if you prefer.
- Once the water is at a rolling boil add the orzo. Immediately give it a stir, then cook, stirring briefly every couple of minutes until al dente. It usually takes about 1 to 2 minutes less than the package instructions say to cook it for. Keep testing a bit and as soon as it's barely done (softish when you bite but still firm in the centre) that's it. It will continue to soften once mixed with the dressing so it's important not to overcook it.
- Drain the orzo immediately using a sieve, and tip it into the salad bowl with the dressing while still warm. The orzo will suck up all of the lemony dressing quite quickly.
- Add the arugula leaves and toss everything together. It will look like too much arugula at first but the leaves wilt with the lemon juice and it ends up being just right.
- If using the optional vegan feta, crumble it over the salad before serving.
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Karen Haworth says
I made this yesterday for a BBQ. It was really good, the dressing was so good! I would make it again. However, I want to point out that the amount of orzo is way off. 2 cups of uncooked orzo was way too much. By the time it is cooked it about doubles in quantity. I would suggest half that amount. It turned out more like a pasta salad with arugula. Rather than arugula salad with orzo. That being said, it was still really good. I added the suggested toasted pine nuts. I think because of the amount of orzo I had a lot left over. I’m not sure how it will hold up. But I saved it. As a side dish I think this would serve at least 12-16 people. I had 8 adults and I had at least half leftover.” (Again, likely because of the amount of orzo) I knew it before I mixed ithe arugula in and I should not have added all of it, but it was already cooked and mixed with the dressing. I love your recipes! They are my regular go to’s. I just think the orzo quantity was off here.
Melanie McDonald says
Hi Karen, glad you enjoyed it! Just want to say that the orzo is correct and that this is a pasta salad. I'm not sure why you thought it wasn't. The recipe name is orzo salad, orzo is pasta, it's the main ingredient in the recipe, and it's described as pasta salad all through the post. It's written to feed 8 and 2 cups of orzo is about 360 grams. That's only 45 grams or 1/4 cup each. Once cooked it would be about 1/2 a cup of orzo each. That's not a huge serving, even as a side. Hope that helps!