Orzo Salad with Zucchini and Chickpeas

This orzo salad with zucchini and chickpeas is light, fresh and full of Mediterranean flavour. Tender orzo pasta, golden pan-fried zucchini, protein-packed chickpeas and sweet cherry tomatoes are tossed with fresh herbs and a simple lemon-olive oil dressing. It’s an easy summer salad that works beautifully as a side dish, a picnic favourite, or even as a satisfying vegetarian main.

Ingredients for Orzo Salad with Zucchini and Chickpeas

Here’s what goes into this simple pasta salad recipe:

• Orzo pasta – the rice-shaped pasta that cooks quickly and soaks up flavour.
• Zucchini (courgette) – pan-fried until golden and slightly caramelised.
• Chickpeas – canned for ease, or cooked from dried if you prefer.
• Cherry tomatoes – or a mix of colourful heirloom tomatoes for variety.
• Fresh herbs – parsley, basil or even mint for a bright note.
• Lemon and olive oil dressing – zesty, simple and refreshing.

Orzo, also known as risoni or kritharáki (in Greece), may resemble a grain of rice, but it’s actually a short, rice-shaped pasta. Just like standard pasta, most orzo is made with durum semolina wheat flour, but if you’re lucky, you may be able to find whole wheat orzo at your local organic food store. Either are an excellent choice for this recipe.

Why I Love This Orzo Salad Recipe

Well, first of all its salad. And we all know I love salads. But when summer rolls around, I love to enjoy really fresh market vegetables and not just in a green salad. And that’s why I choose to make a substantial salad with a small amount of pasta (only 250 g!) and my go-to legume… chickpeas. I love chickpeas in pasta dishes! Speaking of which, have you tried my ravioli and chickpeas recipe? The second thing I love about this orzo salad is fresh raw zucchini. Yes, raw. Raw zucchini is terrific in salads. And if you have chance, pick up a small yellow and green zucchini. This is exactly the time to enjoy summer squash. The lemon and parmesan really highlight them, making the dish deliciously fresh and summery, while the roasted pine nuts add a nice crunch and extra flavour.

Here are more reasons this orzo salad with zucchini and chickpeas deserves a spot in your summer rotation:

• Quick and easy: Ready in about 30 minutes.
• Light yet filling: With chickpeas for protein and plenty of veg.
• Fresh and flavourful: Bright herbs and a lemon dressing make it pop.
• Perfect for summer: Great for barbecues, picnics or a light lunch.
• Meal prep friendly: Keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days.

Orzo Salad Variations

There are a number of variations worth making. Here are just a few ideas:

• Use feta cheese in place of grated parmesan.
• Substitute toasted slivered almonds for the pine nuts.
• Add other vegetables…a handful of shredded spinach, other herbs or maybe roasted red peppers.
• Skip the cheese to make it vegan and some capers.

If this recipe inspired you, here are more light and flavourful salads you’ll love.

• Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad with Feta
• Smoked Trout Orzo Salad with Artichokes & Fennel
• Spanish Orzo Pasta Salad with Potatoes & Green Beans
• Mediterranean Orzo with Tuna, Artichokes, Parsley and Mint

5 from 1 vote

Print

Orzo Salad with Zucchini and Chickpeas

This orzo salad recipe features fresh summer flavours. It's a simple, light dish full of summer vegetables, chickpeas and parmesan tossed in a lemony dressing.

I’d love your feedback – just click on the stars to rate this recipe! ⭐

Course Salad

Category Mediterannean

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 362 kcal

Autor Elle

Ingredients

For the salad:

• 250 g orzo pasta (risoni)
• 1 x 400 g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 250 g grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 small zucchini, very thinly sliced (or 1 medium zucchini, sliced into super thin half moons)
• 35 g freshly grated parmesan cheese
• generous handful fresh basil leaves, slivered
• 30 g pine nuts (ca 3-4 tablespoons)

For the dressing:

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package, cooking until al dente. Drain well and run under cold water.
2. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts: In a dry skillet over medium heat, warm the pine nuts until they’re turning lightly golden on the sides and fragrant (be careful not to let them burn). Transfer them to a bowl to cool.
3. In a large serving bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, salt and several twists of black pepper until combined.
4. Add the couscous to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Top the couscous with the toasted pine nuts, chickpeas, tomatoes,, zucchini. Toss add parmesan, pine nuts, and basil. Stir to combine.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add an extra tablespoon or two of lemon juice if it needs more brightness. For the best flavour, refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This salad will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days. Enjoy!

Notes

• If you stumble across summer squash at your local market, this is a great salad to combine both yellow and green zucchini. Instead of a medium zucchini, use one small green one and a small yellow one.

For a relaxing atmosphere in the kitchen I recommend my personal Elle Republic: Chilled Out Kitchen Tunes Playlist on Spotify.

Did you try this Orzo Salad with Zucchini & Chickpeas recipe?

Then tag @ellerepublic on Instagram and hashtag it #ellerepublic

How did you like it?

Please let me know how this Orzo Salad with Zucchini and Chickpeas recipe turned out for you! I would love to hear how you liked it. Simply rate it with the stars above ⭐or leave me a comment and rate it below.

Did you make any changes to this recipe?

If you have tips for other readers, let me know! It helps me and other readers so much. Sharing is Caring :-).

This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase through my link, Amazon will pay me a commission for it. This doesn’t cost you anything additional and the price remains the same.