Orzo Lemon Salad Recipes

HERBY ORZO & LEMON SALAD

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, and fry the onion for 10-15 mins, or until golden and caramelised. Add the garlic and sugar and cook for a further 3 mins. Season to taste.
• Cook the orzo following pack instructions. Drain, then toss with a little of the extra virgin olive oil and leave to cool completely. Whisk the remaining oil with the lemon juice and set aside.
• Toss the orzo with the sticky onion and garlic, the lemony dressing, herbs and capers, along with half the toasted almonds. Season. Spoon onto a sharing plate and top with the rest of the almonds. Will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

LEMON ORZO

Steps:

• Simmer 1 cup orzo in a saucepan with 2 1/2 cups water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried mint, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon paprika and 2 strips lemon zest, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly. Stir in 2 chopped scallions, the juice of 1 lemon, and salt to taste.

ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• DRESSING: Start with the dressing so the flavors have time to meld and intensify. Zest a lemon to get 2 teaspoons zest. Juice the lemon to get 3 tablespoons juice. Place zest and juice in a large Mason jar. Add the olive oil, garlic, Dijon mustard, and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Put the lid on the jar, shake to combine and refrigerate while preparing the salad.
• SALAD: Bring a pot of water to a boil, generously salt the water, and cook the orzo according to the package directions. Drain, rinse under cold water and allow to cool thoroughly.
• VEGGIES: Meanwhile, prep the veggies. Halve the tomatoes and olives, finely dice the red onion (See Note 1), and the parsley. Add all the veggies to a large bowl. Add in the feta cheese. If desired, grill corn (See Note 2). Cut the kernels from the cob (you don't have to cook the corn; you can add it in raw too for a nice crunch!). Pour dressing over salad and toss. Taste and season as needed with additional salt and/or pepper. Store in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Toss right before serving. This salad is best enjoyed the same day it is made.

LEMON BASIL GREEK ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• To a large pot, add the orzo and cook according to package directions. Drain and return to pot or very large bowl; set aside.
• While orzo is cooking, to a large skillet add 3 tablespoons olive oil, onions, and cook for about 3 minutes; stir intermittently.
• Add the zucchini, garbanzo beans, season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper pepper, Italian seasoning, oregano, and cook for about 3 more minutes, or until zucchini is slightly softened; stir frequently to ensure even cooking.
• Add the garlic, stir to combine, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
• Transfer the onion and zucchini mixture to the large pot with the drained orzo.
• Add the spinach (looks like a lot but it will wilt) and stir to incorporate. Stir for about 2 minutes, or until it begins to wilt from the carryover heat.
• Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and stir well to incorporate.
• Add the feta and stir to combine. Tip - If you want the feta to remain more intact, don't add it until the orzo has cooled down a bit, or it will melt, which is totally fine, you just won't see the white crumbles.
• Taste, and as desired, add additional salt and pepper. I added an additional approximately 2 additional teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper because it's a very large quantity of food.
• If desired, drizzle in additional olive oil. I added another approximately 2 tablespoons for flavor and so that the orzo doesn't stick as it cools.
• Serve immediately. Recipe can be served warm, at room temp, or chilled.

MEDITERRANEAN ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook the orzo pasta according package instructions (mine took about 8 minutes). Drain and cool briefly.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the grape tomatoes, green onions, bell peppers, parsley, dill, olives and capers (hold the feta for now). Add the orzo pasta.
• Make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, oregano and a good pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well combined and the orzo pasta is well coated with the dressing.
• Top with pieces of creamy feta cheese. Cover and refrigerate for a bit before serving.

ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the package directions, or until slightly past al dente. Drain the orzo and toss it with a little olive oil, so that it doesn't stick together. Spread onto a baking sheet to cool.
• Prepare the Greek Salad Dressing and add in the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, and sea salt.
• In a large bowl, toss together the cooked orzo, cucumbers, tomatoes, chickpeas, feta, red onion, and olives. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, add half the herbs, season with freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat. Garnish with the remaining herbs and serve.

EASY ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo until tender. Cool.
• Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk.
• Combine orzo with remaining salad ingredients.
• Toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving

ORZO LEMON SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Drain pasta but do not rinse.
• In a large serving bowl toss together orzo pasta, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, lemon juice, olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper until combined.
• Gently toss in chopped basil and feta cheese. Taste test once more for salt and pepper.
• Salad can be served at room temp or be made the night before and refrigerated. Top with fresh lemon slices and basil leaves before serving.

LEMON ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta as you normally would in a pot of salted water, until it's al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water (you probably won't need it, but reserve it just in case), then drain the orzo and set aside.
• While the pasta is cooking, combine lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, 1/2 cup water (not the salted water), salt, and pepper in a bowl and set aside. Then, slice the tomatoes, zucchini and basil and set aside.
• Transfer the cooked orzo to the bowl with the lemon juice and let it set for 10 minutes. In that time, the pasta will soak up the lemon juice, olive oil and water, which is good because we don't want it to be dry. If for some reason it is, pour in the reserved pasta water.
• Then, add in the tomatoes, zucchini, basil, and feta cheese and stir to combine. Enjoy as-is, or add extra feta and/or black pepper on top!

EASY LEMON ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo in very salty water until just barely al dente.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
• Drain orzo and set aside.
• While the orzo cooks, use a microplane to zest your lemon. Place zest into a large mixing bowl.
• Cut zested lemon in half and squeeze lemon juice into your mixing bowl. Be careful not to let any lemon seeds fall into the bowl!
• Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
• Add reserved 1/2 cup pasta water to your lemon juice mixture and whisk to combine. The sauce will look watery, but don't worry - the orzo will soak the liquid up as it cools!
• Add cooked, drained orzo to lemon juice mixture and stir to combine.
• Let orzo cool for 10-15 minutes.
• Add basil and tomatoes to orzo. Stir to combine. Taste and add salt or pepper as necessary.
• Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and chill until ready to serve. Top with an extra sprig of basil for garnish if you like.

LEMON ORZO SALAD WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Boil a salted pot of water and cook the orzo al dente according to package directions. Once it's done, rinse it with cool water and let it drain thoroughly. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, prep all the salad ingredients and add them to the bowl. If you're not going to eat the salad right away, I suggest skipping the arugula.
• Add the dressing ingredients to a jar or small bowl, and whisk/shake until well combined.
• Toss the salad with the dressing. Add more lemon/oil if needed. I also add plenty of salt & pepper - there's a lot of pasta in here, so you need to salt it well so it doesn't taste bland.

ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Toss the butternut squash with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread the squash into a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the squash is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• While the squash is cooking, cook the orzo in the boiling water according to the package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the vinegar, honey, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl. Toss in the orzo, squash, cranberries, almonds, dill and scallions until everything is coated. Serve in a large bowl, or transfer to 8-ounce mason jars with lids for easy traveling. Serve at room temperature.

RAINBOW ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the red pepper, mango, cucumber, red onion, garlic, chickpeas, herbs, salt, and several grinds of fresh black pepper.
• Cook the orzo according to the package directions or until al dente. Drain, gently rinse, toss with a little olive oil oil and set aside to cool to room temp before adding to the salad.
• Make the dressing. In a small bowl, stir together the tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, cumin, sweet paprika, salt and pepper. Add a few tablespoons of water until it's a drizzle-able consistency.
• Add the orzo, dressing, and arugula to the salad and toss to coat. Season to taste and top with toasted pine nuts.