Truly the most delicious pasta salad that is super easy to put together! Made with the simplest ingredients, this orzo salad is perfect for serving as a main dish or side, and easy to customize with your favorite add-ins!
Serve it with this grilled chicken, marinated flank steak, or any pork recipe! A simple, yet healthy pasta salad that’s ready in 20 minutes!
An easy pasta salad everyone will love! This orzo pasta salad has a mediterranean flare and has a wonderful crunch in every single bite. This cold pasta salad mixes together pasta, crisp summer vegetables, fresh cilantro, and garlic and is topped with fresh lemon juice and olive oil. It’s absolutely delicious and pairs well as a side dish or on its own!
But, my version of this recipe is different than your typical rice recipe and classic pasta salad.
Why This Recipe Works:
- super healthy and incredibly flavorful,
- uses fresh vegetables,
- comes together quickly and feeds a crowd,
- perfect as a side dish, salad, or a light lunch!
What’s In It?
While this orzo pasta salad is extremely versatile, these are the ingredients I use. Orzo is the star here and has the most delightful “chew” in every single bite. The combination of crunchy vegetables and protein packed pumpkin seeds just can’t be beat! The red onion provides a nice bold flavor and pairs perfectly with the flavors of the green onions. Fresh ingredients are just the best!
Most orzo pasta salad recipes call for some type of vinaigrette or greek dressing. My dressing is a simple combination of olive oil, lemon, and cilantro.
What is Orzo?
Even though it looks a lot like rice and you’ll hear people call it “orzo rice”, it’s not. Orzo is a pasta. It’s made with semolina flour, which is made of durum wheat. It’s not a whole grain and despite its similarities to rice, it is not gluten-free. You can read all about the history here in Good Housekeeping’s article. They cover just about everything there is to know about this tiny little pasta.
Step-by-Step Instructions: How To Make Orzo Pasta Salad
Let me walk you through how to make this yummy recipe. First, bring a big pot of water to a boil and cook the orzo according to box instructions. Once it’s done (about 12 minutes after boiling), drain in a colander. After you drain, run the pasta under cool water and place it in the fridge so it can stay cool.
Next, wash all the vegetables before preparing them. Start by peeling and dicing the cucumbers. Finely chop the cilantro and then slice the cherry tomatoes in half-lengthwise. Chop the bunch of green onions. Continue by mincing the garlic cloves and dicing 1 whole red onion. Finely chop the jalapeno and remove the seeds.
Add all the chopped vegetables to a large bowl and add in 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds. Stir lightly to mix the ingredients.
Add the cooked orzo to the bowl of chopped vegetables. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste, as well as the juice of 1 lemon. Start mixing all ingredients together, while slowly adding in extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat the pasta and vegetables.
Expert Tip: Make sure you taste and season! Don’t skip this! If you feel it needs more salt, pepper, lemon juice, then add it in!
And that’s all it takes to pull this dish together. It’s a simple, hearty, and great addition to any meal!
Customize With Your Favorite Add Ins
I’m telling you, this is the most versatile recipe you’ll ever find. While I typically stick to the ingredients I listed above, I’ve also substituted with these other pasta salad ingredients:
- English cucumber
- Asparagus
- Goat or Feta cheese
- Olives
- Chickpeas
- Fresh spinach, basil ,and/or dill
- Sunflower seeds, pine nuts, or almond slices
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Can I make this ahead of time? You sure can! This can be made about 4 hours ahead of time. Store covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
- I like using roasted pumpkin seeds in this dish, but raw seeds are also very flavorful. Raw pumpkin seeds are very chewy and mix well texture and taste wise with cooked orzo.
- Don’t be afraid to use the jalapeno pepper. The pepper provides flavor, not heat. If you want the heat, then add in some of the jalapeno pepper seeds.
- This can be eaten at room temperature or chilled. If you like it chilled, make sure to run it under cold water and place it in the fridge while you are cutting and combining the other ingredients. This is especially important if you’re planning to add cheese. When mixing, the last thing you want is melted cheese in this salad.
- This is a vegan pasta salad, but add some chopped chicken if you want to add some animal protein.
- If you’ve got leftovers, store covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The pasta will continue to soak in the flavors of the ingredients so feel free to add in additional lemon juice and salt and pepper to bring forth the bold flavors.
- This is not a freezer friendly meal so don’t freeze this one.
Other Salad Recipes
If you’re looking for other delicious recipes like this one, try this Italian Style Pasta Salad. It’s loaded with Italian seasoning, sweet peppers, fresh cherry tomatoes, broccoli florets, olives and cheese cubes! If you’re looking for another unique salad recipe, try my Cauliflower and Pea Salad with Cashews. I never would have thought that the taste of crunchy cauliflower mixed with salty cashews and sweet peas would taste so perfect together!
If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #recipesworthrepeating and tagging me @recipesworthrepeating.
Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb box orzo
- 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1 package cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Take the package of orzo and cook per package instructions. Once done, drain and rinse with cool water. Set aside.
- Wash all the vegetables before preparing them. Grab a large mixing bowl so you can place the vegetables in after they are chopped.
- You are now ready to chop your vegetables and put them in the large mixing bowl. Peel the cucumber and dice.
- Take the cherry tomatoes and slice in half-lengthwise.
- Chop the bunch of green onions and mince the 3 garlic cloves. Dice 1 whole red onion. and finely chop 1 bunch of cilantro.
- Take the jalapeno and remove the seeds, chop into small pieces. Add in 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds. All of these ingredients should now be in the large mixing bowl. Stir lightly to mix the ingredients.
- Add the cooked orzo to the bowl of chopped vegetables. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste, as well as the juice of 1 lemon.
- Start mixing all ingredients together, while slowly adding in extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat the pasta and vegetables.This one can be served immediately or chilled.
Notes
- Can I make this ahead of time? You sure can! This can be made about 4 hours ahead of time. Store covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.
- I like using roasted pumpkin seeds in this dish, but raw seeds are also very flavorful. Raw pumpkin seeds are very chewy and mix well texture and taste wise with cooked orzo.
- Don't be afraid to use the jalapeno pepper. The pepper provides flavor, not heat. If you want the heat, then add in some of the jalapeno pepper seeds.
- This salad can be eaten at room temperature or chilled. If you like it chilled, make sure to run it under cold water and place it in the fridge while you are cutting and combining the other ingredients. This is especially important if you're planning to add cheese. When mixing, the last thing you want is melted cheese in this salad.
- This is a vegan pasta salad, but add some chopped chicken if you want to add some animal protein.
- If you've got leftovers, store covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The pasta will continue to soak in the flavors of the ingredients so feel free to add in additional lemon juice and salt and pepper to bring forth the bold flavors.
- This is not a freezer friendly meal so don't freeze this one.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in July 2015, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures and tips in March 2020.
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