Lemon Tahini Orzo Salad

image Orzo Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

This summery salad is great for picnics, cookouts or a quick meal any time of day. The texture of is amazing with delicate orzo pasta, crunchy cucumbers and chickpeas plus hardy kale,tangy olives and cherry tomatoes. Each bite is bursting with different flavors.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine American, california, fusion, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, vegan

Servings

Calories 461 kcal

Ingredients

1 pound orzo pasta
2 cups baby kale chopped
2 cucumbers cut in rounds
4 tbsp parsley
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
½ cup kalamata olives chopped
1 eggplant sliced in 4 lengthwise for grilling

For Eggplant Marinade

1 tsp olive oil
pinch salt
pinch smoked paprika

For Crispy Smoked Paprika Chickpeas

1 15 oz can chickpeas
pinch salt
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp olive oil

For Dressing

4 tbsp tahini
2 lemons juiced
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Cook the Chickpeas - Preheat oven to 400, toss chickpeas with salt, smoked paprika and olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.
Grill the Eggplant- Make marinade and coat each slice of eggplant then grill for 5 minutes each side. Let cool then chop into bite size pieces.
Cook the orzo according to the directions, rinse, drain well and add to a large bowl.
Add dressing ingredients to the orzo and mix well.
Add baby kale, cucumbers, olives, cherry tomatoes, cooled chickpeas and eggplant, and parsley to the bowl with orzo and dressing and mix well. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust.

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 14gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 205mgPotassium: 730mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 2808IUVitamin C: 54mgCalcium: 130mgIron: 3mg

Keyword chickpeas, grilled, healthy, kale, orzo, pasta, salad, summer, vegan

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!