Spring Orzo Salad

At a glance

What stands out: Full of bright and fresh flavors, spring orzo salad will make you happy from the first bite! Crisp asparagus, spicy arugula, and flavorful pine nuts are dressed in a delightful lemon basil vinaigrette.

How long it takes: 25 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large pan for pasta, mixing bowl, small food processor or blender
Servings: 6

Lemony Spring Orzo Salad

Packed full of spring flavors. With crisp asparagus, spicy arugula, creamy artichokes and a tangy lemon basil vinaigrette, this salad sings like the happy birds saying hello to spring. This is one of our favorite pasta salads and we think you will love it just as much as we do.

Straightforward to mix. You can have this salad ready in less than a half an hour. Orzo is a speedy-cooking pasta and you can cook the asparagus in the same boiling water. The dressing is straightforward to whip up, too. Take the time to toast the pine nuts, it’s straightforward and takes about 5 minutes. Learn how to toast pine nuts.

Make it ahead. Most of the components of the salad can be made ahead, making it straightforward to assemble when ready to serve.

What goes in

• Orzo: Orzo is sometimes confused with rice but it’s actually a small pasta. Unlike rice, you do not need to rinse orzo before cooking it. However, for salads like this one, it should be rinsed after cooking it to cool it down and remove some of the starch.
• Asparagus, Artichokes, Arugula: We use fresh asparagus, canned artichoke hearts, and baby arugula for plenty of fresh flavor. You could substitute baby spinach but the spicy flavor of arugula is a reliable counterpoint to the asparagus and salty Parmesan.
• Parmesan Cheese: Shred your own cheese for best texture and flavor. This is not the place to use the powdery grated cheese. Shaved Parmesan works well in this salad, too.
• Pine Nuts: These tasty little nuts are the crowning touch. Toast the pine nuts first for a standby flavor and add them just before serving the salad so they stay crunchy.
• Lemon Basil Vinaigrette: Although you can buy lemon basil dressing, it’s not nearly as fresh tasting as from-scratch. Toss fresh basil, olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, honey, salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder in your blender for a straightforward dressing. It tastes memorable and you’ll want to put it on everything!

How it comes together

Cook the pasta and asparagus. Bring a large pan of water to a boil and cook the orzo according to package directions. A few minutes before the orzo is done, add the chopped asparagus to the pan to cook.

Drain. Put a colander into your sink and drain the orzo/asparagus mixture. Rinse it with cold water to stop it from cooking more, and drain well. Set aside.

Make the dressing. While the orzo and asparagus are cooking, prep the dressing. A small food processor or blender works well. Process the basil, olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, honey, salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder until the dressing is smooth and emulsified.

Combine the ingredients. Put the orzo, asparagus, arugula, artichoke hearts, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts into a large bowl, and toss together. Add vinaigrette and mix until the salad is coated.

Serve. Serve the salad immediately, garnished with lemon wedges, if desired. Enjoy!

Ways to change it

• Make it a meal. This spring orzo salad is absolutely fantastic (like so, so, so good) topped with grilled chicken or grilled salmon for a complete summer meal. It serves four to six if plated in this manner. For a vegetarian main course salad, add protein with chickpeas.
• Add or substitute. Try baby spinach if you’re not a fan of the spicy flavor of arugula. Crumbled feta cheese can be substituted for Parmesan cheese. Instead of asparagus, try sugar snap peas or garden peas. Fresh mint or parsley can be added.

Make Ahead Ideas

Prep ahead: A few of the salad components can be prepped up to a day ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator. Make the vinaigrette, cook the orzo and asparagus, grate the Parmesan, and toast the pine nuts.

To serve: Remove the vinaigrette from the refrigerator a half hour ahead of time to allow it to warm up. Sometimes olive oil hardens a little when it’s cold. Shake or whisk the vinaigrette before adding it to the salad. Add the toasted pine nuts immediately before serving so they stay crisp.

Keeping leftovers

This salad is best served immediately or within a few hours of making it. It tastes great leftover but the pine nuts do get a bit soggy and the arugula will wilt. That doesn’t stop us from eating the leftovers for a couple days, but you should be aware of it.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #62. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list.

Browse Meal Plans

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes
• Total: 25 minutes

Ingredients

For Salad:

• 1 bunch (16 ounces) asparagus
• 1 can (14 ounces) quartered artichoke hearts
• 8 ounces uncooked orzo
• 5 ounces baby arugula
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup pine nuts (toast them first for best flavor)

For Lemon Basil Vinaigrette:

• 1 cup ( 2 ounces) fresh basil
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Method

1. Rinse asparagus, cut or snap off the tough ends, and chop it into 1-inch pieces. Drain the artichoke hearts and roughly chop them.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook according to package directions. Two minutes before orzo is fully cooked, add asparagus to the pan to cook. Drain orzo and asparagus; rinse with cold water until cool; drain well.
3. Meanwhile, make dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, combine the pasta, asparagus, artichoke hearts, arugula, and parmesan cheese. Right before serving, add the lemon basil vinaigrette and pine nuts, stir to coat.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with lemon wedges, if desired.

Notes

Shortcut: If you don’t have time to make the vinaigrette, purchase lemon basil dressing (Newman’s Own, Wishbone, or another brand). You’ll need ¾ cup (6 ounces).

Make ahead tips: You can cook the pasta and asparagus ahead of time; chill until ready to use. The vinaigrette can also be made ahead and refrigerated. Remove it from the fridge a half hour before serving (sometimes the oil solidifies); shake well or whisk. The pine nuts can be toasted a day or two ahead, too.

Substitutions/add-ins: Try baby spinach instead of arugula, peas or sugar snap peas instead of asparagus, feta cheese instead of Parmesan, fresh mint leaves or parsley in addition to the basil.

Toast pine nuts: Learn how to toast pine nuts (3 methods). It’s straightforward!

Make it a main dish: Top the salad with grilled chicken or grilled salmon for a complete summer meal. It serves four to six if plated in this manner. For a vegetarian main course salad, add protein with chickpeas.