Now THIS is a summertime dish that you are going to LOVE; my Chickpea Orzo Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing is a bright, vibrant, refreshing take on your traditional pasta salad recipe. Except this time, we're swapping out large noodles for playful orzo, and adding in plenty of fresh veggies and citrus to keep this dish light and exciting. Plus, it's vegan-optional and comes together in just a few simple steps. Easy!
Ingredients
For the Orzo Salad:
- 1 Cup Uncooked Orzo
- 1 15 oz Can Chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 English Cucumber chopped; this is about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 Cup Feta Cheese crumbled; or substitute a vegan feta cheese alternative.
- ½ Cup Red Onion diced
- ½ Cup Raw Almonds chopped
For the Lemon-Dill Dressing:
- ⅓ Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon juiced; this is approximately three tablespoons
- ¼ Cup Fresh Dill finely chopped
- 1 Clove Garlic mashed or minced
- 2 Teaspoons Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Start by heating a pot of water over the stove and cooking your orzo according to the package directions.
- Next, while the orzo is cooking, prepare your other salad ingredients. Chop your cucumber and almonds, dice your onion, crumble your feta cheese, and place the ingredients into a large bowl.
- Then, once the orzo is done, drain it well and rinse it with cold water to remove all of the excess starches. Then, add it to the bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.
- In a separate small bowl, prepare your dressing by whisking together all of your dressing ingredients until they're fully combined.
- Finally, pour your dressing over the salad and toss until all of the ingredients are fully combine and coated in the dressing. Serve immediately, or store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Enjoy!
Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 678mg | Potassium: 283mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 319IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see what you made - tag @kalejunkie
in your posts and I’ll re-share!
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