This Orzo Pasta Salad is a filling and nutritious salad that’s served warm and is great for dinner. The salmon and vegetables are all cooked in a tray with lightly spiced oil, which is then used as a salad dressing at the end.
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The crowning jewel of this orzo pasta salad is the succulent salmon, perfectly flaky and perfectly seasoned. I also add some roasted vegetables that cook at the same time as the salmon for bright colors and fresh flavors.
What’s more, any leftovers can be stored covered in the fridge and served cold for lunch the next day. What’s not to love?
🍝 What is Orzo?
Orzo is a type of pasta that is often made with semolina flour. It has a unique shape and could be confused with rice grains.
Interestingly, orzo actually means “barley” in Italian, referring to its rice or barley-like shape.
I sometimes like to tweak the pasta dishes a bit and use orzo. Orzo can be simmered in a sauce or broth and absorbs the flavors much like a risotto, like in my Seared Salmon with Creamy Lemon Orzo.
📖 Really good salads
This Orzo Pasta Salad is a recipe from my first book – Really good salads (<-- affiliate link) – which was already published in 2019.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that this is a book about low-calorie diet salads that make you want them drop a head of lettuce. I would never do that to you!
It’s all about things You like to eat bestand then make a salad out of it.
- buttermilk chicken Cobb Salad with homemade creamy ranch dressing
- Crunchy halloumi Salad with couscous and a nice lemon herb dressing
- Fried Egg Breakfast Salad with figs, bacon and crispy bacon fat croutons
- Lettuce wraps filled with spicy bulgogi beef
- And much more…
It’s all about the salads that make me go “oooooh yes please”. Hopefully it will do the same for you!
🍽️ Side dishes
This Orzo Pasta Salad makes an incredibly delicious dinner on its own, but you can also serve it with:
This salad and tons of other non-boring, non-dietary salad recipes are available from me Seriously Good Salads book..
🥬 ingredient swap
- Replace the veggies with whatever you have, some carrot, cauliflower, peppers, it’s entirely up to you.
- Swap out the salmon for grilled chicken or throw in some leftovers roast Chicken At the end.
- Add some fresh green veggies like cucumber and romaine lettuce
- Add some crumbled feta and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for a more Mediterranean flavor.
- Instead of the fresh parsley, you can also substitute other fresh herbs, such as fresh basil.
- Try a different dressing, for example a plain one Honey mustard dressing
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📋 Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe
This is my delicious orzo pasta salad with roasted veggies and salmon, coated in a lightly spiced oil while baking, which is then used as a dressing to finish off the salad.
INSTRUCTIONS
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Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
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On a large baking sheet (sheet), arrange the salmon fillets, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and red onions in a single layer.
2 salmon fillets, 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, 1 large zucchini, 1 red onion
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In a small bowl, combine olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, chilli flakes, brown sugar, paprika, and cumin and drizzle over the salmon and vegetables on the tray.
3 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, ½ teaspoon chilli flakes, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground cumin
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Bake the salmon and vegetables in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
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After 10 minutes, place the asparagus and green beans on the baking sheet. Brush the tray with oil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. After 5 minutes, check the oven and remove anything that looks too brown, if necessary.
12 asparagus sticks, 100 g (1 cup) green beans
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Meanwhile, combine the orzo with the hot broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 7 minutes until al dente, then drain in a colander.
210 g (1 cup) dried orzo pasta, 720 ml (3 cups) hot vegetable or chicken stock
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Remove the cooked salmon from the pan and shred with a fork. Place in a large bowl along with the roasted vegetables and the oil remaining in the pan.
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Add the cooked orzo, baby spinach, grape tomatoes, and lemon zest and juice and mix together.
60 g (2 cups) wrapped baby spinach leaves, 8 grape or cherry tomatoes, Zest and juice of 1 lemon
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Arrange on plates, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.
20 g (¹/³ cup) chopped fresh parsley
✎ Notes
Nutritional information is a guide per serving, based on this orzo salad for 4 for lunch or dinner.
Nourishment
Calories: 486kcalCarbohydrates: 50GProtein: 29GFat: 19GSaturated Fatty Acids: 3GPolyunsaturated fat: 4GMonounsaturated fatty acids: 11GCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 657mgPotassium: 1379mgFiber: 7GSugar: 13GVitamin A: 3113IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 4mg
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