Not another boring lettuce salad. This Easy Lemon Orzo (Risoni) Salad is a tasty & zesty side dish you can whip up in just 20 minutes. Make it a simple meal by adding grilled chicken.
Looking for more quick side dishes? Try our Healthy Potato Salad or Maple Pumpkin Pasta Salad.
Quick look at Easy Lemon Orzo Salad
- ⏲️ 20 minutes start to finish.
- 🛒 Ingredients: 8 simple ingredients.
- 🍽️ Makes: 8 side serves or 4 as a meal.
- 🧑🍳 Difficulty: Very simple (but boiling water involved so not a solo kid recipe)
- 🗃️ Make ahead: Keep for up to 2 days.
Lettuce, cherry tomatoes, fetta and avocado with a simple lemon vinaigrette – that was my standard salad mix for years and years.
I’m not a big salad eater, it was more of a token salad whenever I made it.
I have come a long way since those days and grown to love a lot of the things that I previously disliked.
This easy lemon orzo salad is light and fresh - perfect for summer picnics or as a last-minute side dish in the summer months.
It could be served as a main dish if you added some meat and extra veggies.
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Recipe Ingredients
This perfect side dish is made using just a few simple ingredients:
- Baby spinach - you could also use rocket
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped (or other fresh herbs like fresh dill or fresh basil)
- Fresh lemon juice - save the lemon zest to decorate/top the salad. Here's how to juice a lemon without cutting it.
- Feta, crumbled - you could also use goat cheese or parmesan cheese
- Risoni pasta (orzo)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- White sugar
How To Make Easy Lemon Orzo Salad
This perfect summer side dish is simple to whip up.
Step 1 - Cook the risoni according to the packet directions. Orzo cooks a little faster than regular pasta but the process is the same.
Step 2 - Place the cooked orzo in a large mixing bowl and mix through the spinach leaves and chopped parsley.
I also added a little extra oil at this stage to stop the risoni all sticking together.
Step 3 - Whisk up the oil, lemon juice, mustard and sugar.
Stir the dressing through the risoni.
Step 4 - The final step is to place the risoni on a serving platter and sprinkle the salty feta cheese over the top to serve.
How To Cook Orzo
In case your packet was missing instructions, here's how to cook risoni:
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and add salt to taste. We recommend 1 litre for every 100g of pasta.
- Add the small pasta to boiling water. Stir occasionally.
- Cook for the length of time indicated on the pack.
- Remove from heat. Drain well.
Orzo Salad Variations
If you wanted to jazz it up a little, you could add:
- Toasted pine nuts and black pepper
- Sliced red onion & red bell pepper (capsicum in Australia)
- Juicy tomatoes and fresh basil
- Crunchy cucumber and sliced preserved lemons
FAQs
Orzo (or risoni), is a fine size pasta is inspired by the shape of rice grains.
It is often added to soups but it’s super versatile. I love the nice texture of it in a salad.
Find is in the pasta aisle at the supermarket/grocery store.
Test for doneness just like with regular pasta – taste it for an al dente texture.
Bite through a piece. If it is the same colour through it’s done.
If there’s still a little white in the middle, cook for another minute and test again.
Enjoy!
Recipe
Easy lemon orzo (risoni) salad: quick pasta side
Ingredients
- 100 g 3.5oz baby spinach
- 2 cups parsley roughly chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 100 g 3.5oz feta, crumbled
- 300 g 11oz risoni pasta
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
Instructions
- Cook the risoni in a large saucepan of boiling water according to the packet directions.
- Place the risoni in a large bowl with the spinach and parsley.
- Whisk the oil, lemon juice, mustard and sugar together and add to the pasta then toss to combine.
- Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with feta.
Notes
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, and add salt to taste. We recommend 1 litre for every 100g of pasta.
- Add the small pasta to boiling water. Stir occasionally.
- Cook for the length of time indicated on the pack.
- Remove from heat. Drain well.
sandy says
Are you calling some parsley/spinach/cheese a salad?
Claire says
Sure am! Don't forget the risoni.