This entire salad can come together in less than minutes. While you are bringing the water to a boil, trim and slice the sugar snap peas and asparagus. Cook the orzo, and add the vegetables to the orzo for the last couple of minutes of cooking time. Then drain and rinse everything together in cold water to stop the cooking, and lock in the green color of the vegetables.
While the pasta cooks, make the very simple dressing. Add the cooled orzo, asparagus and sugar snap peas and toss. Done.
I might add some chopped olives next time, probably green to stick with the green and white color theme. I also usually add shallots or onions to salads like this, and might do that next time as well. But it did taste extra clean without, and the bit of Dijon added some spicy kick. But nothing overshadowed the flavor of the vegetables and the pasta, which was appealing. A handful of chopped parsley would be very nice.
But gosh, while all of this would be nice, the salad is delightful as is, straightforward and fresh.
Substitutions for Vegan Orzo Salad
Skip the honey or add agave instead if you want this to be a purely vegan salad, and you don’t eat honey.
This would also be great with some non-vegan or non- vegetarian add-ins, like diced chicken or shrimp, or crumbled feta or goat cheese.
What to Serve with Spring Orzo Salad:
- Lemon-Garlic Semi-Boneless Leg of Lamb
- Panko Crusted Fish with Tzatziki
- Baked Chicken Legs with Herbs and Lemon
- Rib Eye Steaks with Thyme-Garlic Butter
- Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Chops
Other Orzo Recipes:
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Vegetarian Spring Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dried orzo
- 1 pound thin asparagus , cut crosswise into about ½-inch pieces
- ½ pound sugar snap peas , trimmed and cut crosswise into about ½-inch pieces
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook the orzo according to package directions. During the last two minutes of cooking, add the asparagus and sugar snap peas. Drain everything and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Let it sit in the colander while you make the dressing.
- In a large bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, Dijon, honey, thyme and salt and pepper. Add the cooled orzo with the vegetables and lightly toss to combine.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition values are provided as an estimate. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
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