Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Creamy, veggie-packed orzo salad will quickly become a family favorite with its flavorful yogurt dill dressing. Enjoy this pasta salad as a side dish or a satisfying lunch (it’s easy to pack!).
How long it takes: 25 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: large pot, mixing bowl
Servings: 8 (makes 12 cups of salad)
I believe that orzo is the perfect pasta for salads. Because it’s similar in size to the veggies, you’re destined to get a perfect forkful of pasta, vegetables, and dressing. I love this spring orzo salad with asparagus and arugula, and my southwestern orzo salad. Everyone loves my bruschetta orzo salad, too (I always get requests for the recipe!), and I’m sure you’ll love this orzo salad, too!
Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad
Healthy eating. As far as pasta salads go, this orzo salad is fairly healthy eating. It’s packed with so many vegetables: tomatoes, red onions, peas, carrots, and cucumber. The dressing is made with nonfat Greek yogurt, and it has lots of herbal flavor with fresh parsley and dill.
No mayo! If you’re looking for a no-mayonnaise pasta salad that still brings the creamy factor, this orzo salad is it! Greek yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice make for a creamy, tangy dressing that’s not overly heavy.
Best combination of textures. Traditional pasta salad doesn’t have much going on in the texture department, but this orzo pasta salad combines crisp, crunchy veggies with tender pasta and creamy dressing.
An all-occasion pasta salad. Serve this orzo salad at a party, bring it to a potluck, or just make a batch for meal prep lunches. It would be welcome at any backyard BBQ or get-together. It travels well and doesn’t require any last minute prep. This orzo salad is good for any occasion, any day of the week!
More Pasta Salad Recipes
If this orzo salad doesn’t appeal to you, here are a few more suggestions: chicken macaroni salad, summer pasta salad, ranch pasta salad, grilled ratatouille pasta salad, or Mexican street corn pasta salad. Take a look at all of my pasta salad recipes.
Ingredient Notes
- Orzo: Choose either regular orzo or whole wheat orzo which adds fiber and nutrition. If you can’t find orzo, look for another small pasta to use instead.
- Veggie party! Frozen peas are about the easiest vegetable to use and they add sweetness and color to the salad. I also add Roma tomatoes, a tender-skinned cucumber, carrots, and finely diced red onion.
- Plain nonfat Greek yogurt: Healthy yogurt is the base of the creamy dressing instead of mayonnaise. If you happen to have 2% or whole milk yogurt in the fridge instead of nonfat, that’s just fine, as long as it’s plain yogurt, and not flavored.
- Extra virgin olive oil: A little EVOO gives the dressing a smoother consistence and also adds heart-healthy fats.
- More dressing ingredients: Freshly squeezed lemon juice ensures a fresh-tasting vinaigrette, along with freshly chopped parsley and dill. Because the yogurt is more tangy than mayonnaise, I sweeten things up with a little granulated sugar or honey. Garlic powder, salt and pepper add seasoning.
Cooking Tip
If you’re onion-averse, you can soak the diced onion in ice water to cut some of its sharpness, or just omit it. Sliced green onions are a milder substitute.
How to make This Orzo Salad
Cook orzo, and peas. Cook the orzo in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.
In the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add the peas to the pot with the orzo.
Drain the peas and pasta in large colander, then rinse well with cold water.
Why rinse pasta?
Rinsing the pasta halts the cooking process so the pasta doesn’t get mushy. It also rinses away the excess starch which may cause the pasta to get sticky and clump together.Make the dressing. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Combine. In a large serving bowl, toss the orzo, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and dressing until everything is coated. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and additional sugar, if desired.
Recipe Variations
- Mix and match the vegetables. The great thing about an orzo salad recipe like this is that you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand or whatever you like. If you like bell peppers, add those. Don’t like tomatoes? Leave them out. Have some fresh corn or leftover celery? Either would be lovely!
- Add protein. Add a can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained), chopped hard boiled eggs, cooked shredded chicken, cooked shrimp or salmon, canned tuna, diced cheese, etc. Garnishing with feta is delicious, too!
Serving Suggestions
Lunch/light dinner: Make a bed of spinach (or arugula, or romaine, or whatever green you like) on your plate, give it quick squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and top it with a scoop of this orzo salad. If you like, add protein with one of the suggestions listed above.
As a side: Serve this orzo salad for dinner alongside turkey burgers or air fryer hamburgers. It goes well with almost anything. Try it with salmon bites or air fryer pork chops or chicken. Orzo salad is always popular at picnics and potlucks, too.
Serve immediately or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. If you want to make the salad ahead, I’d advise storing the dressing separately from the salad and stir them together just before serving so the salad doesn’t become too dry. The pasta tends to absorb the dressing as it sits.
Free Meal Plan
Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at Meal Plan #55. You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list.
More Salad Recipes
Orzo Salad with Yogurt Dill Dressing
Ingredients
For Salad:
- 1 package (16 ounces) uncooked orzo (substitute whole wheat orzo, if you like)
- 1 cup frozen peas (unthawed)
- 3 roma tomatoes, seeds removed, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 English cucumber, diced (about 2 cups)
- ¾ cup finely diced carrots (about 2 medium carrots)
- ½ cup finely diced red onion (about ¼ onion)
Dressing:
- 1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt (2% or whole milk yogurt is fine)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (or honey)
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup finely minced fresh parsley
- ¼ cup finely minced fresh dill (or 2 tablespoons dried dill)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook orzo according to package directions. In the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add the peas to the pot with the orzo. Drain pasta and peas in a large colander, and run cold water over them to cool.1 package (16 ounces) uncooked orzo, 1 cup frozen peas
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder; whisk until dressing is smooth. Stir in parsley and dill.1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ cup finely minced fresh parsley, ¼ cup finely minced fresh dill
- In a large serving bowl, mix together cooked orzo, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and dressing until well-combined. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and/or sugar as desired.3 roma tomatoes, seeds removed, diced , 1 English cucumber, diced , ¾ cup finely diced carrots, ½ cup finely diced red onion
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Storage/make ahead: Store dressing separately from salad and stir in immediately before serving. Pasta will soak up some of the dressing as it sits. If necessary, increase dressing to achieve desired consistency. Once it’s combined, the salad will keep for up to 2 days.
- Variations: Substitute (or add) vegetables of your preference such as bell peppers, celery, edamame, radishes, corn, and so on.
- Make it a main dish salad: Add protein with hard boiled eggs, cooked chicken, salmon, tuna, garbanzo beans, diced cheese, or feta cheese.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
I am love, love LOVING dill right now. It is soooo good! This salad looks perfect, Rachel! Orzo is awesome for so many things!
I am constantly on the lookout for no-mayo pasta salads! This looks so refreshing and summer perfect!
I love orzo! The dressing looks so good!
I took one look at the photo and immediately liked it. I was not disappointed when I read the recipe. I pinned it.
I’m so glad you liked my orzo salad!! Isn’t dill and yogurt a match made in heaven? xo
tasty
i love orzo salads! this dressing sounds utterly fab!
Yum! I love orzo and dill is one of my favorite flavors. Delicious :)
I still have yet to try this orzo business. I see it all the time…and then just end up making quinoa because cooking orzo scares me for some reason.
This yogurt dill dressing sounds amazing…Maybe I will have to face my fears! Happy weekend lady, pinning!
This salad looks soooooo tasty!! Love the yogurt dill dressing!