If you’re looking for a salad that is not only fresh and full of flavour but also hearty and filling then look no further. This Mediterranean Orzo Salad is all of those things and more. Orzo is a small pasta, almost the size of rice. I’ve used this jovial gluten free orzo for this pasta salad, which I highly recommend if you’re gluten intolerant or coeliac.
I’ve been down a bit of an orzo salad rabbit hole at the moment after I made this Eat Your Greens Chicken Orzo Salad. Mainly because with gluten free pasta, it usually goes hard once cold and isn’t the best in pasta salads. But gluten free orzo doesn’t do that at all. It stays soft and tender and is so delicious!
You could eat this salad on it’s own as it already has 18 grams of protein per serve. But if you did want to boost the protein content add some tuna, roasted chicken or salmon.
Everything You Need to Make This Mediterranean Orzo Salad
You just need a handful of simple and fresh ingredients to make this cold pasta salad. I’ve listed everything you need below as well as any ingredient swaps and notes. You can find the ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- orzo pasta – As I mentioned, I used this gluten-free orzo and highly recommend it. But you can use regular orzo if you’re not gluten intolerant or swap for risoni if you can’t find orzo.
- red and yellow capsicum – or bell pepper to my US friends. Capsicum works great in this salad because it lasts well in the dressing, making it perfect to prep ahead.
- asparagus – if asparagus isn’t in season for you, swap for green beans, snow peas or sugar snap peas.
- baby spinach – I chop up the baby spinach, making this salad very scoopable. You can swap for arugula.
- chickpeas – I’ve used canned chickpeas in this recipe that are drained and rinsed. You can use dried chickpeas and boil them up yourself, it will just take longer.
- kalamata olives – I love kalamata olives in this salad but feel free to swap for chopped artichoke hearts or sun-dried tomatoes if you’re not a fan of olives. Or green olives if you prefer.
- fresh dill – dill can be swapped for other fresh herbs like fresh parsley.
Dressing ingredients
- red wine vinegar – the red wine vinegar really adds to the mediterranean flavors in this salad. You can swap for white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- lemon juice – I recommend using fresh lemon juice because it always tastes better.
- extra virgin olive oil – you can swap extra virgin olive oil for another oil like flaxseed oil or avocado oil.
- dried herbs – I’ve used a mixed Italian herb blend but you can also use a mix of dried oregano and dried thyme.
- french shallot – finely diced French shallot adds so much flavour to this salad. You can swap for finely diced red onion or minced garlic in a pinch.
- sea salt – salt the dressing to taste once it’s all mixed together.
Optional extras
You can really get creative with this salad depending on what you have on hand. Here are some other vegetables and ingredients that you can add in:
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- feta cheese (Greek feta would work better than creamy feta)
- cherry tomatoes
- diced cucumber
Tips for Making the Best Mediterranean Orzo Salad
The full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post but here are some tips to get the best results every time.
- cook the orzo in a large pot of water to give it plenty of room. Salt the water generously once it’s boiled.
- rinse the orzo under cold water – Once the orzo is cooked, pour through a fine mesh sieve to strain (some colanders will have holes that are too big that the orzo can fall through) and then rinse under cold running water. You might not need to do this with regular orzo but I highly recommend doing this for gluten free orzo as it helps to stop it from clumping together and also cools it down more quickly.
- put the orzo on to cook first – as the water comes to a boil and the orzo cooks, prepare the rest of the salad to save time. Chop up your vegetables, blanch the asparagus and mix up the dressing so it’s ready to go once the orzo is cooked.
- mix everything together in a large bowl – pick your biggest salad bowl or a large mixing bowl to mix this salad together as it’s pretty sizeable!
Storage
Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If meal prepping, divide between four airtight containers and store in the refrigerator. This salad does keep well dressed but you might like to divide the dressing up between four smaller containers to store with the salad and dress the day of eating.
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Heat proof fine mesh sieve
- Heat proof jug
- Sharp knife
- Chopping Board
- Large mixing bowl or salad bowl
Ingredients
- 340 grams gluten free orzo, 1 2/3 cups
- 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends trimmed, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 225 grams cooked chickpeas, 400 gram can drained and rinsed
- 1 red capsicum, core removed and diced
- 1 yellow capsicum, core removed and diced
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- 60 grams baby spinach, roughly chopped
- Small bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
Red wine vinegar dressing
- 30 mL red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
- 1 small French shallot, finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon mixed Italian herb blend
- 40 mL olive oil, extra virgin
Instructions
- Fill a large pan 2/3 of the way with water. Place on the stove and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add a generous amount of sea salt and then the orzo. Cook the orzo until just tender (al dente). Turn off the heat and strain through a heat proof colander. Rinse under cold water and then set aside to cool to room temperature. Once cooled add to a large salad bowl.
- Add the asparagus to a heat proof bowl or jug. Top with boiling water and then immediately strain through a heat proof sieve. Run the asparagus under cold water to cool. Add the asparagus to the salad bowl.
- To make the dressing, add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, French shallot, dried herbs and olive oil to a small jar. Place the lid on and shake vigorously to combine. Add salt to taste.
- To the salad bowl add the chickpeas, capsicum, olives, baby spinach and dill. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine.
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