This Mediterranean orzo salad is a 20 minute recipe you won't want to miss!! It's easy to throw together with my special trick, and doesn't skimp on flavor. Plus, easily make it vegan using your favorite dairy free cheese!
This post was originally published on June 16, 2015.
This salad is perfect for a main meal since it's filled with veggies and protein, or make it a side to have on hand all week long. Great for picnics and dinner parties to keep your guests coming back for more!
How to Make Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Instead of taking the time to cook down the veggies and mix them in, I have an amazing hack to save time! This easy orzo salad recipe is ready in just 20 minutes and can be enjoyed warm or cold!
Ingredients
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Sun dried tomatoes
- Orzo
- Chickpeas
- Basil
- Seasonings
- Vegan feta
Step by Step Instructions
- Place spinach, basil, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in the bottom of a pasta strainer.
- Drain cooked orzo over the veggies and cover to steam.
- Rinse and transfer to a large bowl with remaining ingredients.
- Toss to combine and enjoy!
What to Serve with Orzo Salad
You can eat this as a meal, but it's also great as a side dish! Pair it with any of these plant based recipes for a yummy meal:
- Panini
- Falafel Sandwich
- Portobello Shawarma
- Greek Gyros
- Carrot Hot Dogs
- Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- BBQ Pulled 'Pork' Sandwich
- Greek Lentil Soup
Flavor Suggestions
This salad tastes great as is, but you can add extra flavor, nutrients, or protein by mixing in any of the following:
- Roasted peppers
- Broccoli
- Peas
- Asparagus
- Artichoke hearts
- Olives
- Lentils
- Your favorite salad dressing
- Slivered almonds
- Hemp seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Tempeh
Preparation Tips
- When measuring the spinach and basil make sure to pack it down instead of leaving it loose.
- Dried sun dried tomatoes are easy to use, but if you want you can use jarred instead. Choose ones packed in water to keep it oil free.
- For softer sun dried tomatoes, you can soak them in hot water.
- You may or may not need salt depending on the ingredients you use. Add it to taste.
- Use more garlic powder, lemon pepper and thyme to make it as flavorful as you prefer.
- Find gluten-free orzo if needed.
Storage Tips
- Place leftovers in an airtight container.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 3-5 days.
- To serve it warm you can heat it up in a skillet with a little oil or broth, or pop it in the microwave.
- It is not recommended to freeze as the texture of the veggies will change.
Common Questions
Yes, orzo is part of the Mediterranean diet along with fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts.
Each recipe varies but most contain a variety of veggies, olives, and a zesty dressing.
One of the great things about orzo is that you can enjoy it either hot or cold.
As a general rule of thumb you should cook ¼ cup or dried orzo per person.
More Vegan Side Dish Recipes
Elevate any meal with these delicious plant based recipes:
- Grilled Romaine Salad with Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Avocado Kale Salad with Butternut Squash
- Lemon Kale Salad
- Summer Steel Cut Oat Salad with Maple Miso Balsamic Dressing
- Lentil Quinoa Salad
- Watermelon Feta Mint Salad
- Loaded Baked Potato
- Gallo Pinto
Vegan Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh spinach , sliced
- 2 cups sliced mushrooms , about 12-13 mushrooms (I use crimini)
- ¼ cup chopped or sliced sun dried tomatoes , I use the dried ones in a bag
- 16 oz package orzo , gluten-free if needed
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas , about one 15 ounce can
- drizzle olive oil , or broth if oil free
- 1 cup fresh basil , sliced
- 2-3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2-3 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2-3 teaspoons lemon pepper , can sub black pepper but reduce to 1 teaspoon so it isn't as strong
- ½ cup vegan feta , or parmesan
Instructions
- Place spinach, basil, mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes in the bottom of a pasta strainer.
- Cook the orzo according to package directions.
- When ready to drain, pour the whole pot of orzo with the water over the veggies in the bottom of the pasta strainer. This will slightly cook them.
- Put the pot top over the strainer to steam the veggies. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Rinse with hot water to remove starchiness from the pasta then drain well and place everything in a big bowl or back in the pot.
- Add the chickpeas, oil, basil, seasonings, and feta into the bowl/pot and mix until well combined.
- Serve!
Notes
- I measure the spinach and basil packed in.
- You can use sundried tomatoes in a jar just make sure they are packed in water if you want to keep this oil free. Also, if you want soft sundried tomatoes, you can soften them by soaking them in hot water for about 5 or so minutes.
- Due to the sun dried tomatoes and Feta or Parmesan, you won’t need added salt. However feel free to add some if you prefer.
- Adjust the garlic powder, lemon pepper and thyme to make it as flavorful as you prefer.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Rose
Love this amazing Vegan Mediterranean Orzo Salad, seems amazing and healthy too. Thanks for sharing this one with us .
Sophia DeSantis
Thank you Rose! It's definitely healthy and easy to make!
Yamini
Love this "ITALIAN ORZO SALAD", looks quite interesting , love to know about this.
veggiesdontbite
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.
Julie L'Italien
Fantastic! I didn't have any sun dried tomatoes left so I cut a couple handfuls of fresh grape tomatoes in half and threw them on top of the basil and spinach. Turned out awesome! I plan to take it for work tomorrow as a cold dish.
veggiesdontbite
So happy you like it Julie! Those are great subs. Thanks for letting me know!
Kim
This looks so good, but unfortunately I don't like chickpeas or any kind of beans. Do you have a suggestion for what might be a good substitute for them in this particular recipe? Thanks. I'd really love to try this and not lose out on any of the "bulk" by omitting an important ingredient if you could think of another. (You are the veggie expert, I am definitely not! Haha)
veggiesdontbite
Hi Kim! Oh man, no beans huh? Well you won't really get the same flavor profile if you don't have any beans but if you want some filling, I'd say maybe go for some pine nuts or slivered almonds? If you want more veggies you could do portobello mushrooms along with the crimini but I'd suggest you grill the portobello or bake/roast it.
Kim
Thanks so much! My husband loves both pine nuts and almonds - I think both suggestions will be a hit. I think maybe I'll try almonds, but I'm not sure yet! 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Awesome! Let me know how it works!
carmen
OMG!! my favorite flavors together,
I wanna try it immediately
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Carmen! It's really easy to make too. Let me know how you like it!
Hattie
This looks delicious! A great meat-free meal - and in the jar looks like it would make a great dish in a posh picnic
veggiesdontbite
Haha! Yes, it does look quite posh doesn't it! Thanks so much Hattie! It's such an easy meal to make too and perfect for a party. Thanks for being here!
Val @ Life of a Vegaholic
I totally agree! Summer isn't summer without summer salads that's for sure. Haha! This salad looks super yum Sophia! I love the splashes of color in there.
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Val! It's so super easy to make and perfect for a quick get together with friends. I've had vegans and non vegans love it too!
Kat | curlsnchard.com
I totally agree with Natalie - letting your veggies "cook" slightly by pouring the pasta water over them is genius! This sounds like the perfect summer salad 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Kat! I really like al dente veggies so I started doing this years ago. When I make my zoodles, I do the same just to get them slightly soft but still crunchy. I love it!
The Vegan 8
I LOVE pasta and orzo is right there at the top of my list!! This looks so good! I had no idea they made gluten-free orzo...have you actually tried any before? I'm curious how it compares. Orzo is so darn delicious, I wouldn't want a crappy substitute, lol! I'll need to look into it. Love the simplicity of this recipe...awesome that your friend inspired you to make it! Love all the added fresh basil too...I'm obsessed with basil....yum!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Brandi! I have tried one gluten free orzo and it wasn't too bad. That being said, I don't have it all that often so I usually get the whole wheat one because we can handle it from time to time and it's so good. But the gluten free one I tried is great if you definitely need gluten free! I hadn't had orzo in a while so when my friend brought it over it reminded me how much I love it! I also love my veggies al dente so I have been doing the method of "cooking" them slightly with the pasta water for ever and I love that she did it this way too. It gives them an ever so slight cooked texture plus makes the dish so darn easy to make!!
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit
Whoa the pasta water "cooking" of the veggies is genius!!! You are right, I think this is about the easiest, quickest meal or party dish there is!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Natalie! Yes, it cooks them perfectly, not to overdone. This is how I "cook" my zucchini noodles when I make them to mix in with pasta. Just pour the pasta water over the zoodles in the same way and mix all together. You get both in one pot. It's awesome and gives extra veggies for the kids!
Lucie
Yipee, here comes the recipe I was drooling over on Facebook 🙂 Delish as expected, love it Sophia!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Lucie!!! It's so easy and good!!