Zucchini Orzo Salad

This zucchini orzo salad is tossed with fresh herbs and a seared lemon garlic dressing. Bright and warming, this cozy pasta salad is the perfect summer meal.

I feel like it’s not truly summer until you get to a point where you ended up collecting way too many zucchini and find yourself not sure what to do with it. And, as I have hit this stage of summer, to help use up some of my collection, I made this orzo salad and it doesn’t disappoint.

Why You’ll Love This Zucchini Orzo Salad

• Great way to use up zucchini. During the summer I tend to collect a lot of zucchini. It’s a great cheap vegetable that is really versatile and perfect in meals like this.
• Satisfying and balanced. To turn this into a meal we are pairing our orzo with veggies and protein to make this a more nourishing meal.
• Can be made ahead for meal prep. Prepare this meal in advance for some healthy meals throughout the week. It’s ready to eat from the fridge or can be warmed up to your liking.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Orzo: While it looks like rice, this is a short cut pasta and cooks quickly compared to regular rice. For a gluten-free alternative use gluten-free orzo varieties. You can also opt for high protein orzo options like chickpea orzo from different brands like Banza or Barilla.
• Zucchini: You can use all zucchini for this or do one zucchini and one summer squash. Feel free to swap with summer squash entirely if desired.
• Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas to make this recipe come together faster. Feel free to use home cooked chickpeas, but make sure to not over boil them. This also works with cannellini beans.
• Lemon: Fresh is preferred as we need both the zest and juice for the dressing. You can swap for lime juice, do note that the flavor profile will be slightly different.
• Shallot: Feel free to use red or yellow onion as an alternative.
• Herbs: I used a combination of fresh basil and parsley, but change up the herbs used based on your own preference. I’ve made this with dill and parsley and loved this combination too!
• Garlic: Use fresh garlic as we will need it freshly grated for the dressing and then sliced thin to cook down with the shallots.
• Seasonings: I used a combination of coriander, lemon pepper and red pepper flakes. If not into spice, feel free to leave out the red pepper flakes.
• Almond Slices: This helps add some texture to the salad, but can be swapped out for pepitas if you deal with nut allergies.
• White Wine Dressing: Needed for the dressing, but can be swapped with apple cider vinegar.
• Dijon Mustard: This adds some extra sharpness to the dressing. I don’t recommend swapping it as other types of mustard can be really strong in this.

How to Make Zucchini Orzo Salad

Bring a pot of water to a boil then cook the orzo according to package until al dente. Drain the pasta well then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Heat a large skillet with a tablespoon of oil. When hot add the zucchini and spread them out in the pan in a single layer. Allow the zucchini to cook undisturbed for 3 minutes or until the bottoms become golden brown, then flip and repeat for an additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer the slices to the bowl of orzo.

To the same pan, add extra oil if needed then add the shallot, sliced garlic, coriander, lemon pepper, and red pepper flakes. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sauté until the shallots are softened and the garlic is golden then transfer to the bowl of orzo along with the chickpeas, almond slices, parsley, and basil.

Zest your lemon and grate your garlic over a cutting board then transfer to a jar and add the vinegar and mustard. Cut the lemon in half and place cut side in the same heated skillet for 4-5 minutes or until the bottoms of the lemons have caramelized then remove from heat.

Juice your lemon overtop the lemon zest mixture then add the maple syrup, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Seal the jar then shake vigorously until the dressing emulsifies.

Pour the dressing over the orzo then toss to combine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve. For a little extra crunch, toast up some breadcrumbs and almonds in a skillet stirring frequently for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden then serve your orzo topped with the toasted crumbs.

Expert Tips

• Salt your boiling water for the orzo generously. This will help properly season the orzo, which will give more flavor to the salad.
• Don’t rinse your orzo. After cooking the orzo, just drain it well and add straight to your mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients and dressing. Keeping it warm will allow it to absorb more flavor from the dressing.
• For a good sear on your zucchini, cook it undisturbed for a few minutes. Make sure to spread your zucchini out in an even layer and avoid overcrowding the pan. Cooking it this way will help it to naturally caramelize and prevent it from getting super mushy.
• To manage nut allergies, swap the almonds for pepitas. They are a great seed packed with protein and loaded with magnesium and zinc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Balance Out Your Meal

The best part about this pasta salad is that it’s nutritionally complete on its own. You get a great amount of energy from the pasta, protein from the chickpeas and colorful produce from the zucchini and herbs. You can make this meal more satisfying with additional protein by including any of the following with your bowl:

• Baked Tofu
• Smoky Tempeh
• Hemp hearts

More Summer Vegan Recipes to Try

• Maple Lime Cold Noodle Salad
• Mango Chickpea Salad
• Skillet Charred Corn and Edamame Salad
• Seared Lemon and Sumac Marinated Chickpeas
• Cilantro Lime Slaw Bowl

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★ Catherine

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