Louise and I make orzo when we want something fresh, healthy, and fiber rich.
It’s the kind of meal that feels light and cooling, yet satiating thanks to the veggies, chickpeas, and olives.
This orzo recipe is based on two of our our most popular salad recipes; chickpea salad and rice salad.
We keep the sodium low by using a simple homemade lemon vinaigrette that brings brightness and flavor without the need to add excessive salt.
Whether we’re making a quick lunch at home or packing it for a picnic, this orzo salad always hits the spot.
It’s colorful, nourishing, and plant-based, with a vegetarian modification of adding feta cheese. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Ingredients
Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Orzo pasta: Substitute any other short pasta shape for orzo pasta, such as fusilli, rotini, penne, ditalini, farfalle, ziti, or macaroni. Use gluten-free pasta to make this orzo pasta salad recipe without gluten.
- Veggies: Pick and choose a mix of your favorite veggies keeping trying to use different colors and textures. We recommend:
- Cherry tomatoes: substitute vine tomatoes, grape tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or roma tomatoes for cherry tomatoes.
- Cucumber: You can use English cucumber, Persian, or Kirby cucumber. Substitute radishes, celery, or grated carrots for cucumber.
- Olives: You can use Kalamata olives, Gaeta olives, or simple black pitted olives.
- Red onion: Substitute shallot or spring onions for red onion for a milder and less sharp flavor.
- Chickpeas: You can use canned or dry chickpeas that you first soak in water for 12 hours and then cook for 2 hours or until tender. Substitute black beans, cannellini beans, or lentils for chickpeas.
- Fresh parsley: You use fresh flat-leaf parsley or substitute other fresh herbs such as fresh basil leaves, fresh mint, dill, chives, or coriander for parsley.
- Feta: You can use regular feta or non-dairy feta. We recommend crumbling it before adding it in. Substitute with diced mozzarella.
Mustard dressing
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh lemon juice: substitute apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Lemon zest: omit if you don’t have a lemon.
- Mustard: use yellow mustard or Dijon mustard.
- Maple syrup: substitute honey.
- Salt and black pepper: use reduced sodium sea salt or kosher salt.
- Garlic: optional. Substitute garlic powder.
How to make orzo salad
STEP 1: Marinate the chickpeas
Make the dressing in a medium bowl by whisking extra virgin olive oil, grated lemon zest, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and black pepper.
Add canned chickpeas (drained and rinsed), toss, and set aside for the time it takes to cook the pasta and cut the veggies.
STEP 2: Cook the orzo pasta
Boil the orzo pasta in a large pot with salted boiling water per package instructions.
When the pasta is al dente, drain and rinse it under cold water for 15 seconds to prevent it from overcooking.
STEP 3: Mix the salad
To a large bowl, add the cooked orzo pasta, the chickpeas with the dressing, quartered cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, sliced olives, chopped red onion, and chopped parsley.
Toss, then taste and adjust for salt before serving. Optionally, add crumbled feta just before serving.
Variations
Greek orzo pasta salad
Add crumbled feta (or non-dairy feta) and a pinch of dried oregano to give this orzo salad a Mediterranean spin.
Serving suggestions
Low Sodium Tips
1. Skip the salt—boost flavor with acidity and herbs.
Fresh lemon juice, vinegar, and plenty of herbs like parsley, dill, or mint add brightness without needing added salt.
2. Use homemade ingredients.
Choose unsalted broth (if cooking the orzo in broth), skip store-bought dressings, and use home-cooked chickpeas or low-sodium canned options.
3. Add natural umami.
Ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes (rinse if packed in salt), olives in moderation, or roasted red peppers can enhance flavor while keeping sodium in check.
Storage
Make ahead: you can make orzo salad up to a day in advance. We advise against making it earlier than that because the veggies lose their crunch.
Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: we don’t recommend freezing orzo pasta salad.
More summer salad ideas
Orzo Salad
Orzo salad is a quick and easy solution for a tasty and healthy meal. It’s an excellent recipe for meal prep, and summer cookouts, served as a light dinner or a side dish.
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Servings: 6 people
Course: Main Course, Side dish
Cuisine: American Italian
- Turmeric Cauliflower and Chickpea (Healthy Sheet Pan Dinner)
Try Our Turmeric Cauliflower and Chickpeas for an Easy Sheet Pan Dinner This Turmeric Cauliflower and Chickpea sheet pan dinner is a simple, versatile, nutritious way to get more fiber-rich veggies on the table with almost no effort. The veggies roast until golden and lightly crisp, giving you a naturally flavorful meal that fits beautifully into a Mediterranean-style eating pattern. … Read more - Quick and Easy Kung Pao Tofu – The Plant Based School
Hey all 😊 Enjoy a tasty and terrific tofu meal with this kung pao tofu! We love that this recipe is easy and ready in about 30 minutes. The sticky and sweet kung pao sauce is from the Szechuan cuisine and pairs well with tofu. Forget about Asian takeaway; this is a tasty vegetarian dinner favorite that you and your family will love. Nico … Read more - Greek Yogurt Marry Me Chickpeas
Why you’ll love this Greek yogurt marry me chickpeas! If you’re looking for a cozy, protein-rich dinner that feels a little special but is still easy to make, Louise and I think you’ll love these Greek yogurt marry me chickpeas. The sauce turns creamy and rich, without heavy cream, thanks to simple ingredients you likely already have … Read more - Corn Salad (No-Mayo)
Why This Salad Belongs on Your Summer Table Louise and I wait patiently for corn season to hit its peak. As soon as the markets are overflowing with freshly picked cobs, this corn salad becomes a staple on our table. It’s fresh, easy, and made without mayo—just sweet corn, black beans, avocado, and a punchy … Read more - Pearl Couscous Salad – The Plant Based School
A Healthy Mediterranean Couscous This Mediterranean couscous recipe is excellent for meal prep, potlucks, barbecues, packed lunches, and everyday meals. Since Louise and I love easy salad recipes (and our readers love them too), this couscous is inspired by two of our most popular dishes: chickpea salad and Moroccan couscous. Like our farro salad, rice salad, and orzo salad, it’s packed with fresh … Read more - The Bitter Red Fruit Men Over 40 Need for Urinary Fire
The red fruit that changes the pressure in your bladder Cranberries hit the urinary tract like a lockpick. They don’t just sit there looking innocent in a bowl — they flood the system with compounds that make it harder for unwanted bacteria to grab onto the bladder wall and set up camp. That matters more … Read more - Mineral Sleep Drink Before Bed Triggers Relief for Bones, Sugar, Anxiety, and Constipation
That pinch of sea salt in warm water is not a folk remedy for bored people. It hits the body like a missing key sliding into a locked door, and the first places it shows up are the ones the post promised: bone pain, unstable blood sugar, nighttime anxiety, low mood, and a gut that … Read more - A Drink That Forces Stem Cells Into a Fiercer Repair Mode
That green, thick, bitter-looking drink is being sold as a cell-reboot in a glass. The claim is loud: stem cells, regeneration, and a body that starts behaving like it remembers how to repair itself. And the part people keep staring at is the same one that matters most: what happens when your cells stop acting … Read more - What Soybean Does to Shrinking Muscles
The thing sitting in that glass can hit a body like a repair crew: soybean. It doesn’t just bring raw biological fuel; it floods tired, starving muscle fibers with the building blocks they’ve been missing, and that matters when strength has started slipping through your hands. That slow fade is brutal. You notice it when … Read more - Pineapple Triggers a 3-Day Flush in Your Intestines, Liver, and Kidneys
That spiky yellow fruit on the counter is not just sweet. Pineapple hits your intestines, liver, and kidneys with bromelain, a protein-cutting enzyme that starts breaking down the thick, stubborn load sitting inside your digestive tract. That’s why people with bloating, sluggish digestion, and that heavy, stuffed feeling after meals keep circling back to it. … Read more - Eat This One Dark Seed to Help Legs Feel Strong Again
Black cumin seed is the kind of food people walk past without a second glance, yet it hits the body like a wrench to a frozen bolt. The post promisedstronger legs, and that is exactly where this tiny seed starts making trouble for weakness, heaviness, and that drained, rubbery feeling that shows up when your … Read more - Honey, Garlic, and Ginger Trigger a Fierce Internal Reset
Honey, garlic, and ginger do not behave like a cute kitchen blend. They hit sluggish circulation, stubborn digestion, and that raw, worn-down throat like a three-part alarm bell, forcing the body to stop drifting and start moving. That matters when your mornings feel thick, your stomach sits like a brick after dinner, and your energy … Read more - 3 Teas That Wake Up Weak Legs and Protect Aging Bones
Green tea, ginger tea, and mugwort tea do something most people never connect to leg strength: they attack the slow slide into brittle bones, aching joints, and muscle loss. That’s why an older body can feel like it’s losing its grip on the floor one stair at a time. One morning the knees creak when … Read more - Could These 4 Green Juice Recipes Support Your Kidney Health?
You wake up feeling heavier than usual, with ankles that look a little swollen and a lower back that aches more than it should after a normal night’s sleep. You tell yourself it’s nothing serious — maybe you stood too long yesterday or didn’t drink enough water — but the quiet worry lingers as you … Read more - What Menopause Does to Aging—and the 10 Foods That Push Back
After menopause, aging doesn’t just “continue.” It accelerates. Skin thins, joints feel louder, bones lose their quiet strength, and the face in the mirror starts looking like it’s been run through a dryer set on high. The foods in that post are aimed straight at the damage: blueberries, strawberries, avocado, almonds, soy, salmon, walnuts, dark … Read more