Chickpea Orzo Salad

Ingredients

The ingredients needed to make this orzo salad with chickpeas are listed below.

For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom or:

• Orzo, a small pasta that has a similar shape as rice, traditionally made from white flour (also known as risoni). It can be substituted with other small pasta or a gluten free orzo if desired. 
• Chickpeas, this recipe uses canned chickpeas because they are a great time saver. Boiling dried chickpeas works great too. Soak and boil them following the packet instructions, careful not to overcook them so they go mushy. Let them cool down to room temperature before adding.
• Red onion, ads a wonderful crunch and bite to this salad. Spring onions or shallots are another great option.
• Bell pepper, this risoni pasta salad has red bell pepper added. It is sweet, crunchy and full of flavor. Use any color bell pepper of choice, both yellow and orange bell pepper tastes great as well.
• Cherry tomatoes, cut in half 
• Sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained, chopped and oil reserved for the dressing.
• Feta cheese, it’s salty, creamy and absolutely delicious in this simple orzo salad. For a vegan option, use vegan feta cheese alternative.
• Fresh basil or parsley, herbs adds freshness and lots of flavor to this pasta salad.

Dressing

• Olive oil, or reserved oil from the sun-dried tomatoes.
• Red wine vinegar, ads a some acidity as well as a tangy and slightly fruity flavor to this vinaigrette dressing.
• Garlic, gives this dressing a punch of flavour.
• Honey, to balance out the acid from the red wine vinegar. For a vegan option, use maple syrup.
• Dijon mustard, just a little adds a lot of flavor and a creamier consistency. 
• Spices, sea salt, ground black pepper, Italian spice mix and optional red chili flakes for a little heat. If you don’t like chilli, just leave it out completely.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Making this arugula orzo salad is fast and easy. Just follow the step by step photos below and watch the recipe video.

For the full instructions see the recipe card at the bottom.

Hint: For a milder tasting onion, let it marinade in the dressing for 30 minuted before adding to the salad. Or soak it in cold water for 15 minutes, drain and rinse and then all to the salad.

Substitutions

• Pasta – the orzo can be substituted with other small pasta of choice or a gluten free orzo if desired. 
• Beans – Instead of chickpeas, other canned beans or lentils of choice can also be used.
• Spicy – For a spicer salad, add a little extra red chill flakes or even sliced fresh chili. If you like it mild, just omit the chilli flakes all together. 
• Vegan – for a vegan orzo pasta salad, use maple syrup instead of honey in the dressing, and a vegan feta cheese alternative. 
• Herbs – instead of chopped fresh basil, other herbs like parsley, oregano, chives or cilantro also works well. 
• Onion – The red onion, ads a nice crunch and bite to this salad. It can also be replaced with pickled red onion, copped spring onions or shallots. If you don’t like onions, just leave them out.
• Bell pepper – This recipe uses red bell pepper, but you can use any color of choice. Another great option is to use some canned roasted red peppers. 

Another great salad to try is this Curried couscous salad or this Lemon orzo salad with feta.

Variations

• Olives – Add some pitted and sliced olives of choice, kalamata olives tastes great. 
• Nuts – For a little crunch, add some toasted nuts of choice or pine nuts. For an allergy friendly salad, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds are good options. 
• Greens – Toss in some small greens into this veggie orzo salad, baby spinach or arugula are some great options. 
• Cheese – Instead of the feta cheese, goat cheese, parmesan or mozzarella also tastes great in this orzo pasta salad.
• Veggies – Add more veggies to this salad, some great options are, sliced avocado, chopped artichoke hearts, chopped cucumber or your favourite veggies.

This orzo veggie salad can be served on its own, or why not serve it with some delicious homemade No knead olive bread or a slice of this No Knead Whole Wheat Bread.

Storage

This orzo salad with chickpeas can be prepared ahead of time and makes it a great meal prep side dish! Store the salad in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. I love to make a batch on Sunday night and keep in the fridge for the week to serve as a healthy side throughout the week.

Salad does not freeze well, so I don’t recommend it.

Salad recipes

Pasta recipes

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