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–+ servings
lemon orzo salad with lemon slices

Greek Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad

Source: donuts2crumpets
Greek Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad has a lemon vinaigrette that soaks in to the pasta, veggies and herbs to create a vibrant, bright summer salad for your table!
Servings: 12
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
5 from 1 vote

EQUIPMENT

Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz dried orzo pasta I like Barilla
  • 1 can chick peas drained and rinsed
  • 1-1/2 cups English cucumber diced
  • 1-1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
  • 2/3 cup diced red onion
  • 1/3 cup fresh parsley

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed, not bottled
  • 1 clove pressed garlic
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Stir in 2 tsp salt and the orzo and cook as long as the package recommends for al dente, (9 minutes for Barilla.)  When it's done cooking, drain the pasta.
  • While the orzo is cooking, in a large mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil, canola oil, lemon juice, pressed garlic, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon zest, oregano, salt and pepper together until it starts to emulsify.
  • When the pasta is done cooking and after it has been drained, add it to the dressing mixture, mix well, then set aside for at least 15 minutes, giving it a toss every few minutes to help it cool.
  • Stir in the drained chickpeas, chopped cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and fresh parsley. Mix everything together and add additional salt and pepper as needed to taste.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Notes

A couple of tips for this recipe:
  1. I would stick with orzo for this salad just because it is the perfect size for a lovely bite and keeps the salad feeling light and fresh.
  2. Other veggies that could be yummy in this salad include chopped red peppers or sliced black olives if you want to change up the flavor profiles!
  3. Yes, you can absolutely switch out sweet, yellow or white onion for the red.  The color of the red onion just makes the salad even more beautiful in my opinion.
  4. Garnish the top with fresh lemon slices, additional lemon zest and extra chopped parsley to step up your presentation!
  5. Crumbled feta or goat cheese or freshly grated Parm make lovely additions on the side for people to add as wanted.  I don't like to add them in to the salad itself, but they are lovely sprinkled over the top.
  6. If you want to make this in to a main, add grilled chicken or top with these amazing Greek Souvlaki skewers!