This asparagus orzo salad is the perfect way to celebrate spring! Tender roasted asparagus and bell peppers blend beautifully with the freshly cooked orzo, spring veggies, and an herby dill vinaigrette that seeps flavor into every bite. Since it's served cold, you can easily make it ahead of time as an easy side dish for holidays, special occasions, or your weekly meal prep!
What is Asparagus Orzo Salad?
Orzo is one of my all-time favorite pastas, especially for pasta salad, because it looks like rice, has a silky, delicate texture, and becomes fully enrobed in all the flavors from the salad.
It's like a blank slate, pairing just as well with warm, hearty elements as it does with cool and refreshing ones.
For this asparagus orzo salad, it's all about celebrating that fresh asparagus, balancing its grassy, fresh flavor with fresh herbs and a little tanginess.
I like to pair it with roasted peppers, green peas, cooling cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and more, all tossed in a vibrant vinaigrette.
This salad is also served cold, which means you can easily prep it on the weekend to simplify your weeknight dinners.
It's a great option for Easter, Mother's Day, showers, and more. It's truly the perfect spring salad!
Why you’ll love this Easy Spring Orzo Salad
- Packed with spring flavors like asparagus, peas, and fresh dill
- Tastes even better the longer it sits
- A light yet satisfying fresh pasta salad for sunny days
- The perfect balance of textures, from roasted veggies to crisp cucumbers and tender orzo
- A simple vinaigrette that's both tangy and slightly sweet, with a bold bite from the Dijon and fresh herbs
- Ready in less than 30 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner
Ingredients for Orzo Asparagus Salad
This is a great farmers market salad, especially during asparagus season. Prioritize finding the best asparagus you can find as its the star ingredient here. Look for a bunch with consistently sized asparagus spears as they'll roast in the same amount of time.
For the salad:
- Orzo pasta - This is the only gluten-containing ingredient in this recipe so if you're GF, simply swap a gluten-free orzo and you're good to go!
- Fresh asparagus - This is the star of the salad. Each of the other ingredients is intended to highlight the fresh asparagus, so it's best to use the freshest, crispest asparagus you can find.
- Bell peppers - Roasting sweet bell peppers deepens their natural sweetness and adds a lovely color contrast. I like to use orange and yellow peppers for extra color and flavor.
- Fresh veggies - Add some crunch and extra flavor with Persian cucumbers, fresh peas, and cherry tomatoes.
- Extra virgin olive oil - To for roasting the veggies and to keep the orzo from sticking together.
- Sea salt
- Vegan feta cheese (optional) - Briny, salty feta adds a creaminess and flavor contrast that works really well in this dish, but it's also great without it.
For the dressing:
- White vinegar - White vinegar can be a little sharp, but we'll balance it out with herbs and a little sweetness. You can also try using another vinegar like red wine or white balsamic vinegar.
- Extra virgin olive oil - For richness and a nice, smooth dressing.
- Dijon mustard - This will help emulsify the dressing and make it nice and creamy while adding a sharp bite.
- Maple syrup - For a touch of sweetness to balance the acidity.
- Salt
- Fresh herbs - Dill and green onions add a fresh, seasonal flair.
How to Make Asparagus Orzo Salad
There are a few phases here, but they can all be happening at the same time. While the veggies are roasting, boil the water for the orzo. Since those tasks are mostly hands-off, you can then work on preparing the fresh vegetables and making the dressing. Then, toss it all together and you're good to go!
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Place asparagus and whole peppers on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss and spread in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes in oven.
- Cook orzo until al dente according to the package directions. Rinse the hot orzo with cool water and drain. Drizzle with a little oil to prevent sticking then reserve at room temperature for salad assembly.
- Make dressing by adding to a small bowl or jar, the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, maple, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Then add the dill and green onions and mix well.
- Once asparagus and peppers are roasted, let them cool enough to handle them without burning yourself. Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces. Remove stems and larger seeds from the baby peppers and chop small.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the pasta, asparagus and peppers, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes and half the feta. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix it well.
- Garnish with the remaining feta and serve.
Storing Suggestions
Store any leftover pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve cold and do not freeze.
Tips for Making the Best Asparagus Orzo Salad
- Adjust the herbs. I highly recommend the dill and green onions if you have them, but you can also try chives, fresh basil, or parsley.
- Add more veggies. You can often expand spring salads with other fresh or marinated veggies, like artichoke hearts, sliced red onion, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and more.
- Make a lemon vinaigrette. Replace the white vinegar with fresh lemon juice for a milder flavor.
FAQs
This recipe is meant to be served as a cold, marinated pasta salad and shouldn't be heated.
Nope! It is best to cook the asparagus in some way, but blanching is fussy and you have to deal with an ice bath and everything. I prefer to roast the asparagus since that enhances the flavor and is more hands-off, perfect for home cooks.
Protein can help keep you feeling full for longer, and you can easily add a nice dose of plant-based protein with a can of rinsed and drained cannellini beans or chickpeas. Sprinkle some sliced almonds or pine nuts for more fats and consider using a high-fiber pasta to really fill up!
More Vegan Spring Salad Recipes
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Asparagus Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- 2 bunches fresh asparagus ends trimmed
- 5 baby bell peppers orange and yellow
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup frozen peas defrosted
- 3 Persian cucumbers chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ cup vegan feta cheese optional
For dressing:
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
- 2 tbsp chopped green onions white and green parts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Place asparagus and whole peppers on a sheet pan.
- Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss and spread in a single layer.
- Roast for 20 minutes in oven.
- Cook orzo according to package. Rinse with cold water and drain. Drizzle with a little oil to prevent sticking then reserve for salad assembly.
- Make Dressing by adding to a small bowl or jar, the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, maple syrup, and salt. Whisk until well combined. Then add the dill and green onions and mix well.
- Once asparagus and peppers are roasted, let them cool enough to handle them without burning yourself.
- Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces. Remove stems and larger seeds from the baby peppers and chop small.
- To a large salad bowl add the pasta, asparagus and peppers, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes and half the feta.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix it well.
- Garnish with the remaining feta and serve.
- Enjoy within 3 days for best quality.