Pesto Orzo Salad

Plate of orzo pesto salad with tomatoes, arugula, red onion and chickpeas.

5 from 3 votes

This easy pesto orzo salad features fresh tomatoes, homemade basil pesto and chickpeas for a quick and easy weeknight meal or side salad.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Author: Deryn Macey

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.

Video

Notes

The 2 tbsp lemon juice in the salad can be substituted with white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar as a variation. You can use all arugula or all baby spinach in the salad rather than the arugula-spinach mix. Baby kale would also work.

Leftover salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Nutrition