Featuring veggies like asparagus, spinach, and olives and a sprinkling of toasted almonds and feta, Lemon Orzo Salad is ready in about 30 minutes. It’s finished with a punchy garlicky lemon dressing and fresh herbs. Make this zesty salad for lunch, a quick dinner, a potluck, or a picnic.
Lemony Orzo Salad for Lunch or Dinner
Whipping up salads that can stand up to days in the fridge is my kind of meal prep. Spring and summer-time means lots of salads and I’m not talking just the lettuce type, but hearty salads, like in my 12 Summer Vegetarian Salad Recipes collection, that stand in for the main course! This pasta salad packed with veggies is that kind of salad.
Like this reader favorite Lemon-Dijon Asparagus and Pea Pasta Salad, this salad features a colorful medley of veggies including asparagus, with spinach, and crunchy toasted almonds, olives and sweet bell pepper. It’s got crunch, creamy and salty all rolled into one delicious salad.
This Recipe Is
- perfect for meal prep, portion to individual lunch containers and store in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- packed with lemony flavor and crunchy veggies – so satisfying.
- hearty and filling.
If you enjoy asparagus recipes, you’ll love this seasonal pasta salad.
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How to Make Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
step by step
This pasta salad comes together quick once the veggies are chopped and the toasted orzo and asparagus have cooled. the orzo and asparagus are cooked in one pan for easy clean up.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
Versatile enough to use what’s in the larder, take a tour of what you have on hand, and perhaps you’ll find something new to toss in. Here are some variations I’ve tried with this recipe:
- Spinach is delicious, but arugula offers a peppery contrast to this salad. A mix of the two is quite nice.
- I find Kalamata olives impart snappy, briny interest in this lemony salad. I’ve subbed sun dried tomatoes for Kalamata and love the results.
- Once my chives are spent in the herb patch, I go for green onions.
- This recipe calls for blanched almonds, but whole chopped or slivered almonds will work beautifully too.
- I love fresh parsley in this orzo salad recipe. Use more or less to your taste and, when in season, add a handful of fresh chopped basil.
“This salad will definitely be in my fridge for lunches and in the rotation for bringing to parties. For me it’s spot on as is but I appreciate the variations you suggest to accommodate taste preferences as those come up often! Orzo was a pasta I never had growing up but I love it in recipes now.”
Jean
Traci’s Tips
- When cooling the pasta in the refrigerator, give it a stir a few times. This helps separate the pasta grains, and allows the pasta to cool more quickly.
- To make this salad stretch even further, add 1 1/2 C of cooked chickpeas when mixing in the spinach.
- Chive flowers make a lovely addition to this salad. They are edible!
Love orzo and asparagus? Give this reader favorite Lemon-Garlic Orzo with Roasted Vegetables recipe a go!
Fresh Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Spinach and Feta
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 cup (185 grams) Orzo Pasta
- 1 3/4 cups (410 grams) Vegetable Broth I use low sodium
- 1 pound (430 grams) Fresh Asparagus ends snapped, cut into bite size pieces
- 1/2 cup (70 grams) Almonds blanched or whole
- 1 1/2 cup (215 grams) Yellow Bell Pepper medium dice, about one pepper
- 3 cups (105 grams) Spinach packed, then chopped
- 3/4 cup (110 grams) Kalamata Olives quartered
- 1/2 cup (85 grams) Feta crumbled, I like sheep's milk feta
- 1/3 cup (12 grams) Chives chopped fine, or use 3 green onions, chopped
- Fist-Full of Fresh Herbs such as Parsley and/or Basil curly or flat leaf, chopped fine
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt more to taste
- Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
For the Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice from about 2 lemons (add up to another teaspoon for even more lemony goodness!)
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest about one lemon
- 2 teaspoons Fresh Garlic microplained or finely chopped, from about 2 medium cloves
Instructions
For the Salad:
- Cook the Orzo and Asparagus: In a large saute pan, heat the Olive Oil on medium heat until shimmering. Add the orzo and stir, coating the orzo thoroughly. Stir occasionally on medium low heat for about 3 minutes or until the orzo is toasty and golden. Add the vegetable broth. Be careful here because the broth will spit and sputter. Bring to a simmer, turn down the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, then stir in the asparagus. Relid and cook on low for another 4 or 5 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the asparagus is tender crisp. Stir. Remove from heat, and transfer to a large bowl. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and toast the almonds for about 8-9 minutes or until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool. If using whole almonds, give em' a good rough chop. *Note: I use my toaster oven for this rather than heating up my big oven. The almonds can also be toasted on the stove top in a dry pan on medium heat. Toast for 2-4 minutes, depending on which variety of almond you use, and stir/toss frequently so that they toast evenly. Remove from heat and pan when fragrant and golden.
Make the Dressing:
- In a lidded jar, add the olive oil, lemon juice and zest and garlic. Shake until the ingredients are emulsified. Set aside.
To Assemble the Salad:
- To the chilled orzo and asparagus add the bell pepper, spinach, olives, feta, chives (or green onions), almonds, herbs, salt and fresh ground pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste for seasoning adjustment.
- Store in the refrigerator until ready to share, or in individual meal prep containers for up to four days.
I made this using Barilla Chickpea Orzo to accommodate a gf guest, and it was absolutely delicious! Just as good the next day with a little more feta and another squeeze of lemon!
Hi Katie! Thank you for your note, sharing your GF orzo tip and giving the salad a go. I’ll be on the lookout for that orzo!
Perfect early summer salad! I used to slivered almonds for a quicker prep. This is a good
Hiii AbiKale! Thank you for your note and giving the orzo a go! SO happy to receive your note.
this was delicious ! I loved the toasted flavor of the orzo ( I needed about an extra cup of water to fully cook). The crunch of the almonds and the zing of the lemon were perfect. This will be on repeat this summer.
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for your note and giving the orzo a go! – good call on the water. I’m thinking differences in lid weight can cause the steam to escape rather than condense back into the pan. Isn’t the toasted orzo a nice surprise? SO glad you’re enjoying it!
Delicious and perfect summer salad. I added more feta, whole almonds at the PT Co-Op in bulk section are already roasted and not salted and the bag of spinach at the Chimacum farm stand is excellent. We served with barbecued salmon we brush with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and then top with brown sugar. Had this dinner TWICE this week – once for us and once for company. Lots of compliments.
Howdy Neighbor! SO excited you and company enjoyed the salad! Thank you for sharing your tips, and five star rating. YES to more almonds and feta!
This was so delicious. FYI you forgot the crumbled goat cheese in the assembly of the salad.
Hooray! Thank you for your note Cheryl! Correction made (I appreciate it)!
The two of us enjoyed this as a side dish. Since I was planning on having it as a leftover for a couple of days, I decided to add the dressing to individual portions as they were served. I was concerned about the spinach being 2-3 days in the dressing. I plan on taking it to a pitch in this summer. I think it will be a welcome change to the standard pasta salad.
Hi Mary Lou! So happy to hear. Thank you for your note and rating!
I made this salad tonight. I like that it is nice and hearty and will hold up in the fridge for several days. I served it with a quick pickle mix of baby cucumbers and cherry tomatoes and also had steamed broccoli with it. I didn’t change much. I used red bell pepper instead of yellow and used kale instead of spinach. I added the kale to the asparagus and orzo while still warm so it would wilt slightly. I have already decided to make this salad for a potluck at the end of the month.
Hi Tara! Hooray for a reliable salad and that you’re taking it to a potluck! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the salad. Thank you for your note and sharing your tips!
What can I say — two of your recipes in one day — we are thankful. This was very satisfying for dinner. Made a few changes, of course. Had a big bag of English peas, so good. Toasted pine nuts. Your idea to toast the orzo was great! And added Dijon to the lemon and olive oil. At first it looked a bit wimpy, then came together and was fabulous. Please, keep them coming and
Big thanks, celesta
Hiii Celesta! Hooray! Two for two! Thank YOU for your note and giving the recipe a go! I love your addition of dijon – thank you for your tip :D
This is my all time favorite salad. I can’t say enough good things about it. I could eat this every day for lunch and never get tired of it. The first time I made it, I wasn’t sure about the dressing being enough but it is perfect.
This is wonderful! Second time around (always follow the recipe the first time) I used a baby spinach and arugula mix, and added some baby artichoke hearts that I quartered, either version is amazing! Keeping this one on the rotation for sure this summer!
Meal prepped this for lunches this week. I knew it would be good, but it’s GOOD. Added chickpeas. One batch made enough for 4 lunches. Making the second batch now. Try it! And thank you for the recipe!!
Hooray! So happy to hear Marissa. Thank you for your note!
This salad is one of the reasons I love summer. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
Hi Phyll! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go! So happy to hear you’re enjoying it!
Loved it!!! Good and a little heartier with chicken added. Also broccoli adds a little more texture.
Excellent salad. The lemon is lovely. I think this would be good with Israeli couscous too. Will make an appearance at our cottage this summer, I’m sure. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Vivian! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a note and your suggestion of Israeli couscous! I’m so happy to read it. An appearance at your cottage sounds lovely!
This salad will definitely be in my fridge for lunches and in the rotation for bringing to parties. For me it’s spot on as is but I appreciate the variations you suggest to accommodate taste preferences as those come up often! Orzo was a pasta I never had growing up but I love it in recipes now.
Isn’t orzo so nice? Same here, Jean. I didn’t know what it was until my late 30s!?!? And how is that!? I hope you enjoy the recipe, Jean!
How much feta (I am using Violife vegan)? It looks delicious, and local asparagus is available now.
Good catch, Shrileen and thank you (fixed now!)! You’ll need 1/2 C. I’ll see if I can find Violife… ! Thank you for your tip.