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easy orzo pasta salad with lemon dressing in a bowl
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Orzo pasta salad with lemon dressing

An easy orzo pasta salad with lemon dressing recipe full of vegetables and fresh herbs.
Course Dinner, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword italian pasta, lemon dressing, pasta salad
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 16 people
Calories 229kcal
Author Katie Beck

Equipment

  • pasta pot for boiling orzo
  • large serving bowl

Ingredients

For the dressing

  • 5 whole lemons
  • 4 tablespoon avocado oil or vegetable oil basically something neutral in flavor
  • 1 tablespoon of honey
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon of black pepper use less if you are not a huge fan of pepper like me

For the rest of the salad

  • 3 cups fresh vegetables use your imagination
  • 16 oz box of orzo pasta
  • salt for the pasta water
  • 1 cup fresh herbs use what you can and have available to you

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to the package in salted water.

For the dressing

  • While the pasta is cooking, zest three of the lemons into a large serving dish or bowl. Squeeze all the juice from all five lemons into the bowl along with the honey, salt and pepper and whisk together. While whisking, pour in both oils and whisk vigorously to combine. Pull out about ⅓ cup of the dressing to reserve for coating the pasta.

To complete the dish

  • Drain the pasta really well, shake it around good in the colander, but do not rinse with cool water. Put the hot pasta into the large bowl with the reserved ⅓ cup of dressing and stir together thoroughly so all the orzo is coated and absorbing the lemon dressing. Set aside to cool to room temperature. While it cooling prepare your vegetables. I like to roast or grill ¾ of the vegetables and roughly chop into larger pieces. I chop the rest of the raw, on an angle but thin. Carrots and zucchini can be shaved with vegetable peeler, and I halved the green beans this time length and cross wise. YAnd again - use any vegetables you like and have!
  • Then roughly chop the herbs all together. Don't finely chop them, you want a punch of flavor!
  • When the pasta is room temperature, add the roasted and raw vegetables and the herbs and toss together. Pour the remaining dressing over and toss one final time.

Notes

You can serve this at room temperature or chilled (I prefer room temperature). It lasts for about five days refrigerated.

Nutrition

Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Fat: 11g