Pesto Orzo Salad
on Apr 17, 2024, Updated Jan 15, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links.
This refreshing pesto orzo salad with chickpeas and fresh veggies makes a delicious light meal or side salad and takes just 20 minutes to make.
Featured 5-Star Review
Made this for dinner last night. Had most of the ingredients already, subbed tiny bowtie pasta for the orzo, added some pinto beans with the chickpeas, and only used Basil for the pesto. Was sooooo good! 10/10 would recommend. Super easy and the leftovers formed the base for 3 days worth of lunch salads for my husband and myself. Will definitely make again!
Karen
Why You’ll Love Pesto Orzo Salad
Pasta salads are one of my favourite things to make. They’re so easy to throw together and endlessly customizable. This orzo pasta salad is made with a nut-free homemade pesto sauce, chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion and arugula for a flavorful, nutritious dish that’s perfect for a light meal or crowd-pleasing side dish.
Here are a few reasons to love this recipe:
- It’s vegan so dairy-free, including the pesto!
- It can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free orzo.
- It’s a nut-free pesto made with pumpkin seeds.
- It’s high in fibre and a source of plant-based protein.
- You can make it in advance.
- It has a bright, zesty and refreshing flavour.
- It’s perfect for potlucks and picnics.
If you have extra orzo on hand from making this recipe, this Easy Creamy Tomato Orzo with Spinach is another quick and easy recipe perfect for weeknights or meal prep.
This is the same pesto recipe used in this Pesto Spaghetti Squash so you could always double up and make both or try it in this Pesto Farro Salad.
Ingredient Notes
Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.
- Orzo: Any orzo works just be sure to check it’s made without eggs if you need the recipe to be vegan. Orzo can be found in the pasta aisle of most grocery stores, if not, in Mediterranean or Middle Eastern specialty shops or online.
- Tomatoes: You can use grape or cherry tomatoes.
- Pumpkin Seeds: These are used as an alternative to traditional pine nuts in pesto. You can substitute walnuts or sunflower seeds.
- Nutritional Yeast: This is used to replace parmesan cheese in the pesto.
- Basil: You can use all basil for the pesto or a mixture of basil and parsley. I used a mix.
- Spinach: This is optional for the pesto to help make it a brighter green.
Variations and Additions
- Sun-dried tomatoes make a good addition to this salad. Use up to 1/2 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil.
- Other additions to experiment with are roasted red peppers, black or kalamata olives or artichoke hearts.
- For extra veggies, you can add 1 diced red or yellow bell pepper.
- Feta or mozzarella cheese can be served on top.
- Store-bought pesto can be used for convenience. You’ll need about 1 cup.
How to Make Pesto Orzo Salad
Step 1: Cook the orzo. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and cook according to its package instructions. Drain and set aside to cool.
Step 2: Add all of the pesto ingredients except for the oil to a high-speed blender or food processor and pulse to combine.
Slowly pour in the oil whiled blending, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add the chickpeas, vegetables and cooked orzo to a large mixing bowl with 2 tbsp lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix well to combine.
Step 4: Add the pesto to the bowl and toss until everything is coated.
Recipe FAQs
You can store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This salad is great for meal prep as the flavors meld and improve over time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
This salad can be served as a main dish or a side. It pairs well with grilled vegetables, vegan burgers like these Spicy Chickpea Veggie Burgers, or any protein. It’s perfect for picnics, potlucks, or as a refreshing meal on a warm day.
This salad is typically served chilled or at room temperature.
If you try this Pesto Orzo Salad or any other recipe on Running on Real Food, don’t forget to leave a comment and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe, and I love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @runningonrealfood so I can see your creation! Thanks for trying my recipes! – Deryn
More Recipes to Try!
Pesto Orzo Salad
Ingredients
For the Pesto Orzo Salad
- 1 1/2 cups dried orzo, 275g
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (305g)
- 1 cup diced cucumber, 160g
- 3 cups arugula-spinach mix, 60g
- ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced (40g)
- 1 19 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
For the Pesto
- ⅓ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 14g
- 1 tbsp light miso, 15g
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups basil, 40g or mix of 20 g basil and 15g parsley
- 1 cup spinach, 25g
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
- Cook Orzo: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add orzo. Cook al dente according to package directions, stirring occasionally. Drain orzo and set aside to cool.1 1/2 cups dried orzo
- Make Pesto: In a food processor or high speed blender, add pumpkin seeds, garlic, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon juice, basil, parsley and spinach. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, gradually stream in oil, stopping and scraping sides down as necessary, until combined. Season with salt and pepper.⅓ cup raw pumpkin seeds, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp light miso, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 cups basil, 1 cup spinach, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, Salt
- Toss Salad: Add the tomato, cucumber, arugula and spinach, red onion, chickpeas, lemon and cooked orzo to a large bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper and mix to combine.2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, 1 cup diced cucumber, 3 cups arugula-spinach mix, ¼ small red onion, 1 19 oz can chickpeas, 2 tbsp lemon juice, Salt and pepper
- Add Pesto: Add the pesto to the bowl and mix well until everything is coated in pesto.
- Serve: Serve right away with more fresh basil leaves, a squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper.
Made this for dinner last night. Had most of the ingredients already, subbed tiny bowtie pasta for the orzo, added some pinto beans with the chickpeas, and only used Basil for the pesto (didn’t realize I had spinach in the fridge!). Was sooooo good! 10/10 would recommend. Super easy and the leftovers formed the base for 3 days worth of lunch salads for my husband and myself. Will definitely make again!
Yum! Thanks, Karen!
This recipe was really good. I had a pre-made pesto on hand so I used that, and since I had white beans on hand I used them instead of chickpeas. I also added roasted red peppers which was an optional add in that was suggested in the post. While I think the homemade pesto would’ve been even better, this was such a nice dinner. I’ll definitely be making it again, next time hopefully ill have the stuff on hand to make the pesto myself, or maybe I’ll try a tomato pesto or something else to change up the flavour. This would also work with other types of pasta, especially smaller shapes like the pinwheel or even the smaller bowtie pasta really well I think if someone doesn’t care for the texture of orzo. You can definitely customize this.
This was fantastic! The pesto is really good, I’ve never made it with pumpkin seeds but love that they’re less expensive than pine nuts. I’ll definitely make this again. I didn’t measure any of the salad ingredients just kind of threw in whatever and it worked out great.