Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Spinach and Feta Recipe

Closeup of Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Spinach and Feta in a large serving bowl ready to be shared

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Spinach and Feta Recipe

Filled with veggies like asparagus, spinach, and olives and a sprinkling of toasted almonds and feta, Lemon Orzo Salad is easy to pull together! Finished with a lemony dressing, make it for lunch, an easy dinner, potlucks or picnics. This recipe is vegetarian and easily vegan.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Picnic, Potluck

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword Asparagus, Lemon Orzo Salad, Orzo Pasta Salad, Spinach Salad, Spring, Summer, Toasted Orzo

Total Time 30

Servings - 7 Servings

Calories 384kcal

Author Traci York

Ingredients

For the Salad:

1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 C (185g) Orzo Pasta
1 3/4 C (410g) Vegetable Broth
1 lb (430g) Fresh Asparagus ends snapped, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 C (70g) Almonds blanched or whole
1 1/2 C (215g) Yellow Bell Pepper medium dice
3 C (105g) Spinach packed, then chopped
3/4 C (110g) Kalamata Olives quartered
1/2 C (85g) Feta crumbled, I like sheep's milk feta
1/3 C (12g) 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 tsp Fine Sea Salt more to taste
Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

For the Dressing:

3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbs Fresh Lemon Juice from about 2 lemons (add up to another teaspoon for even more lemony goodness!)
1 tsp Lemon Zest about one lemon
2 tsp 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.

Video

Notes

Recipe inspired by PCC's Asparagus and Orzo Salad.

Nutrition