Rainbow Orzo Salad

Rainbow Orzo Salad is a bright and colorful salad that's perfect for warmer weather. It's crunchy, light and fresh. This easy pasta salad is the perfect side dish or light lunch.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This recipe is simple to make in less than 30 minutes. Rainbow Orzo Salad features lots of fresh summer produce, however you can enjoy it all year since these ingredients are typically available at most grocery stores year round.

This pasta salad is not just for picnics and BBQ's, it also makes a great weeknight dinner side dish. You can even make this salad to meal prep lunch for the week.

You'll love how customizable it is too! Swap out the pasta, veggies, or dressing for whatever you prefer. It's vegetarian, you can make it vegan or dairy-free, and even add a protein to make it into a meal.

Love warm weather recipes? There are plenty of spring recipes and summer recipes to choose from!

Ingredients

• Orzo: I like to use orzo in this salad, however you can use whatever small pasta shape you prefer. Regular, whole wheat, or gluten-free all work in this recipe.
• Tomatoes: Quartered cherry tomatoes or diced roma tomatoes.
• Peppers: Diced yellow and orange bell pepper. I used half of each for the different pops of color. You can choose whatever color bell pepper you have available.
• Cucumber: Diced cucumber. I used english cucumber, but you can use any cucumber variety. Garden or Persian cucumbers would also be great in this salad. I left the peels on for an added pop of color, but you can peel them if you'd like.
• Red Onion: Diced red onion (optional).
• Feta: Crumbled feta cheese.
• Basil: Fresh basil, sliced.
• Salt and Pepper: Sea salt and black pepper to round out all the flavors.
• Red Wine Vinaigrette: Extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, honey, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Follow these simple steps to make Rainbow Orzo Salad.

1. Make the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orzo until al dente, according to package directions. 
2. While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing by whisking all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until combined (or shake together in a jar). Set aside.
3. Drain and rinse the orzo with cold water, about 1 minute, or until cooled. Place in a large bowl.
4. Add in the tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, red onion (optional), feta cheese, and basil. Toss to combine. Drizzle with the dressing and toss again to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

Pro Tip: To store, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Orzo salad may dry out a little after refrigerating. Just drizzle a little bit of olive oil over it and toss to combine.

Variations

I love this salad as it is, however it's so versatile that you can customize it to your liking!

• Swap out the vegetables and herbs. You can swap out the vegetables or add in any others you prefer. Great options are spinach, pitted olives, and artichoke hearts.
• Add a protein. Make it into a meal by adding chopped pepperoni or salami, cooked shrimp, or chickpeas. You can also top it with halved or chopped hard boiled eggs.
• Use different cheese. Don't like feta? No problem! You can use crumbled goat cheese, shredded parmesan, or even chopped mozzarella balls. Make it dairy-free by leaving the cheese out entirely.
• Give it an added depth of flavor. Roast the tomatoes and peppers for even more flavor!
• Make it vegan. Leave out the cheese, and swap out the honey for some maple syrup in the dressing to make it a vegan orzo salad.
• Make a different dressing. Lemon vinaigrette, Italian dressing or greek dressing are all great options.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

More Recipes

If you like this Rainbow Orzo Salad Recipe, then you'll love these other simple recipes.

• Easy Italian Pasta Salad
• Crunchy Chickpea Mediterranean Salad
• Vegetable Soup with Orzo and White Beans

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