Easy Orzo Salad {Summer Favorite}

This Easy Orzo Salad is light, fresh, and filled with veggies, chickpeas, and fresh herbs. It will quickly become a go-to pasta salad in your house!

I love making and taking pasta salads to potlucks, barbecues, and get togethers. They are the perfect side dish for sharing. This Easy Orzo Pasta Salad is a summertime favorite. It’s a versatile and delicious side that everyone loves! I always bring an empty bowl home–no leftovers!

This Orzo Pasta Salad is the MVP of my summer with chickpeas, cucumber, arugula, cherry tomatoes…all coated in a delicious and bright homemade dressing! It’s a summer favorite, but is good all year around. You can’t go wrong with this recipe, anytime of the year.

What is Orzo?

Orzo is a really tiny, short pasta. It’s shaped like large grains of rice, but a little thicker. It’s easy to cook and is great in salads or with served with pesto or marinara sauce. You can buy orzo at most grocery stores, look for it in the pasta aisle.

I love it for this pasta salad because the pasta is so small you can get it in every single bite!

Orzo Salad Ingredients

The ingredients are fresh, simple, and oh so delicious! For this salad, you will need:

•  Orzo pasta
•  Arugula (can use spinach)
•  English cucumber
•  Grape tomatoes
•  Chickpeas (white beans or shredded chicken would be good too)
•  Red onion
•  Feta cheese (can use goat cheese or Parmesan cheese)
•  Fresh basil

Simple Dressing

Homemade salad dressings are actually SO simple to make and they really take your home cooking to the next level. Don’t be intimidated–it’s just measuring and whisking!

In a medium bowl (or even a Mason jar!), combine:

• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• Golden balsamic vinegar (or champagne vinegar)
• Honey
• Minced garlic 
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Orzo Salad

Just a couple steps to the most delicious Orzo Pasta Salad ever!

• We’ll start with boiling a pan of salty water. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until it’s al dente.
• Drain and rinse! Give the pasta a rinse in cold water and move it into a large bowl.
• Add the arugula (or spinach), cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, feta, and basil to the orzo and stir it gently, then drizzle the dressing over the top and stir it again. 

Can I Make the Salad in Advance?

Yes! Up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This is a great recipe to make in the morning and have on hand for an easy side dish or even to eat for lunch.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

Photos by Molly

Thanks for Sharing!

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment below! You can also share a picture on Instagram! Tag @twopeasandpod and use the hashtag #twopeasandtheirpod.