Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
This quick Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad is a side dish that goes with spring and summer meals. Make it in minutes for a side dish that will round out your dinner, or use it as the base for a delicious protein bowl. It makes for excellent meal prep as well as a great cookout side dish.
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Lemon Orzo Pasta Recipe
This lemon orzo pasta is so easy. I came up with it one night when I realized we didn't have enough food for dinner. I quickly looked in our pantry and fridge and realized we had just enough orzo to make this happen. Now it's one of my favorite go-to side dishes!
Orzo pasta has a subtle nutty flavor that makes it the best type of pasta to go with citrus notes like lemon. This dish is so fun to make with fresh summer vegetables, and sometimes I adapt the recipe and add lots of fresh herbs too!
Whenever I make a simple protein like grilled chicken thighs and can't think of a side dish to go with it, I turn to orzo. It's easily adaptable, so I can add or subtract whatever I have on hand. This lemon orzo pasta recipe is one of my favorites, along with spinach turkey orzo and cheesy orzo.
Plus, the flavor profile of this lemon orzo pasta salad pairs wonderfully with so many different foods. This recipe really is one of my favorite things! And I just love that it's so easy to make.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
There are so many reasons to love this lemon orzo pasta salad:
- It's quick. You can make this super simple side dish in just under 25 minutes!
- Prep it ahead. Lemon orzo pasta is a great make-ahead or meal prep dish since you can eat it hot or cold.
- It's versatile. This easy recipe can be served as a side dish or a main course when you add some protein to it.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This easy pasta salad with orzo is super easy to pull together. You only need a few things from the store, and the rest are things you probably already have on hand: water for cooking the orzo, olive oil, salt and pepper. The flavor of olive oil is distinct and perfect for this delicious side dish. But if you don't like olive oil or must avoid it for any reason, you can substitute avocado oil.
To start, you'll need orzo pasta, a small, rice-shaped pasta that works in a variety of different dishes. Orzo cooks quickly and has a similar texture to long-grain rice, even though it is not a grain. The word orzo in Italian means "barley," but that is only in reference to its barley-like shape - it is typically made with flour.
Find orzo in the pasta aisle at your local grocery store. But if you can't, you can absolutely use any other small pasta shape with this recipe. There is such a thing as gluten-free orzo - find it on the pasta aisle with regular orzo, or in your store's dedicated gluten-free section.
Of course, the other star of this recipe is lemon. You'll need the zest and the juice, so fresh is best, but if you really have to, you can use the bottled juice from the store. I truly recommend using fresh lemon, if you can, because the flavor from the zest is just incredible and makes this oh-so-lemony.
Mix-In Ideas
And then there are the mix-ins, which you can adapt with whatever you have on hand. Fresh basil adds its botanical, peppery flavor. Grape tomatoes (or whatever tomatoes you have) bring bursts of juicy brightness. Chunks of feta cheese and some grated parmesan cheese round out this recipe to make it ultra creamy. if you want to mix things up, here are some ideas:
- If you're not a a fan of tomatoes, you can leave them out or substitute for red bell peppers or any other fresh veggies.
- Some baby spinach or fresh asparagus would be delicious in this lemon orzo recipe!
- You can add more layers of flavor by putting some kalamata olives, capers, diced red onion, fresh parsley or chopped green onion into the dish.
- Make it even creamier with goat cheese, little fresh mozzarella balls or by serving it with burrata.
- Give it a little kick by adding some red pepper flakes!
How to Make Lemon Orzo Pasta
You only need about 30 minutes to pull this recipe together, and the good news is you can make your protein while the pasta cooks. You can even do this step ahead of time and just toss the pasta with a little olive oil and store it in the fridge until you're ready to make the salad.
- Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil on the stovetop. Add the orzo to the boiling water and let it cook for 8-9 minutes until al dente.
- Drain the cooked orzo, then pour it into a serving bowl.
- In a small bowl or a mason jar, mix together the fresh lemon juice from half a lemon, olive oil, basil, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
- Pour the lemony dressing over the orzo pasta and mix it in well.
- Slice grape tomatoes in half, and add them to the bowl. Then, add in the feta cheese and parmesan cheese.
- Thoroughly mix the ingredients together until everything is evenly incorporated. You can serve this dish immediately while warm, or chill the delicious lemon orzo pasta salad and serve it cold.
Tips for Success
- Don't overcook your orzo! It doesn't take as long to cook orzo as it does to cook most pasta. Follow the instructions in this recipe or the instructions on the box of pasta.
- If you want to serve this dish cold, allow it to cool to room temperature and then place it in the refrigerator.
- Add more flavor and protein to this lemon orzo pasta by cooking the orzo in chicken broth instead of salted water.
What to Serve with Lemon Orzo Pasta
One thing I love about this recipe is how versatile it is! You can enjoy it as a side, a base or as the main event.
- Serve it as a base with a protein on top. Serve grilled pork chops or pan seared chicken thighs over a bed of this pasta salad. Even baked chicken meatballs would be good!
- Enjoy it as a side dish. The delicious flavors of this orzo dish would pair beautifully with one pan chicken piccata. Or keep things lemony with these tender and moist lemon chicken thighs as your main with some oven-baked green beans too.
- Turn this salad into a main dish by adding some protein. Shredded or diced rotisserie chicken, artichoke hearts and garbanzo beans are fabulous additions in lemon orzo pasta. If you're this eating lemon orzo salad recipe as a main dish, serve it up with some cheesy garlic bread.
FAQ
Leftovers will store wonderfully for about a week if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. However, I don't recommend freezing this dish. The pasta will end up changing texture and it will end up being a mushy mess.
Don't overcook it! It is really important to cook your orzo al dente, as it will become very mushy even when just slightly overcooked. Always bet on the safe side and cook it a minute or two less than you think it should be cooked. Taste test it to check the texture too!
Did you make this recipe?
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Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups uncooked orzo
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice from about ½ lemon
- ½ tablespoon lemon zest from about ½ lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup grape tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup feta cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 ½ cups uncooked orzo and cook for 8-9 minutes, until al dente. Drain well and place it into a serving bowl.
- In a small bowl or mason jar, mix together 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ tablespoon lemon zest, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup fresh basil, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Pour the dressing mixture over the cooked orzo and toss until all of the orzo is coated.
- Add in ½ cup grape tomatoes, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese and ¼ cup feta cheese.
- Serve warm or chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve - this recipe can be enjoyed hot or cold.
Notes
Serving Suggestions
- This pasta salad recipe is great as a cold side dish. Serve it cold with your summer favorites like barbecue, burgers or picnic foods.
- It is also delicious warm. Add a protein over top, such as grilled chicken, and enjoy it as a main meal.
- Add your favorite mix-ins. Chopped kalamata olives, crushed red chili flakes or capers would add an extra zing of flavor.
Nutrition
More Pasta Recipes
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This makes the perfect side dish to almost any meal! Love the lemony flavor and I often add additional veg for crunch. Love red peppers thrown into the mix!
This pasta was so tasty! I added small pieces of chicken on top and some herbs and it gave me a complete meal. Great recipe!
I made this to go with some grilled chicken. The kids loved it.
Where is the recipe for lemon orzo pasta? It's not showing here.
This sounds so tasty and comforting without being too heavy!
yum yum yum!
i LOVE orzo pasta (and i really love it cold for some reason haha)
I love when the ingredients work out just so that you can make a new favorite dish! And this one sounds DELICIOUS! Headed over to Jenna's blog to check out the recipe now...