Fresh from the Kitchen: Recipes & Food Inspiration
- Orzo provides an easy vehicle for veggies like asparagus, snap peas, corn, and arugula, making them more enjoyable and salad-friendly.
- Creamy Basil Vinaigrette is mayo-less, blended from toasted garlic, shallot, pumpkin seeds, basil, lemon, vinegar, and adjusts easily to taste.
- Meal prep friendly and highly customizable: swap pasta, use frozen veggies, add proteins like beans, tofu, or high-protein pasta to make it a meal.
Use up that Spring produce to make this Spring Orzo Pasta Salad tossed in a creamy basil vinaigrette. Easy to modify and great to meal prep.
Why You’ll Love this Spring Orzo Pasta Salad
- A good way to add veggies. What can I say? Veggies are just easier to eat when they are incorporated into things you already love. So take advantage of the pasta and use it to enjoy getting in those veggies.
- Mayo-less pasta salad. So if you have an ick towards it, you can use this dressing as an alternative.
- Great for meal prep. This makes a lot of salad. So make a big batch and enjoy eating it through the week along with your favorite proteins.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Orzo: Swap with your favorite pasta variety. And, yes, you can choose gluten-free pasta.
- Basil: Dill is a great alternative.
- Chives: Or parsley works too.
- Corn: Frozen fire roasted corn is my go to when corn is not in season!
- Asparagus: Broccolini can be a great alternative.
- Snap Peas: Frozen peas are my other go to!
- Arugula: Spinach or baby kale! Or just leave it out entirely.
- Vinegar: I used white balsamic vinegar, but white or red wine vinegar works just as well.
- Lemon: Fresh is best because we need that zest.
How to Make a Spring Orzo Pasta Salad and the Creamy Basil Vinaigrette
Clean and trim your vegetables: Cut the corn kernels away from the cob. Trim away the woody ends of the asparagus spears, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Trim the ends of the snap peas, and pull away any strings if necessary before thinly slicing them at a bias.
Cook the pasta: Boil and salt water, then cook pasta according to package instructions.
Cook the Corn: Add the corn into the pan. Spread out to cover the bottom of the pan, then allow to cook undisturbed for 3-4 mins. Season and give the corn a toss and sauté for 2 mins until the corn starts to lightly char. Transfer to the mixing bowl and toss it together with the orzo.
Cook the asparagus: Place the same pan back on the burner, then add the asparagus with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3-4 mins, or until the asparagus is brighter green in color, then transfer to the bowl with the orzo along with the snap peas, chives, pepitas, and arugula.
Toast some aromatics: Return the pan back to the burner and add 3 tbsp of oil. Add the garlic and shallot with a pinch of salt, then sauté for about 3-4 mins, or until lightly golden. Add the pumpkin seeds, and let them toast in the pan for 2-3 mins.
Blend the dressing: Transfer the oil, garlic, shallots, and pumpkin seeds to a blender cup and allow to cool for 5 mins. Add 1 tbsp of oil along with the mustard, vinegar, agave, lemon zest and juice, and a generous pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Add the basil, then blend again until smooth. Adjust flavors as needed.
Dress and serve: Pour the dressing over the salad, giving everything a good mix until fully coated. Serve immediately or chill for later.
Short Cuts to Keep You Sane
- More a reminder, you can eat asparagus and snap peas raw.
- Replace the cooking required for the dressing by grating 1 raw garlic clove into the blender cup with 2 roughly chopped scallions to avoid dirtying a pan.
- Use frozen veggies! Frozen sweet peas are a great replacement for the snap peas and frozen fire roasted corn saves you from having to cut corn and cook it yourself.
- Too tired to make the dressing? Use your favorite green goddess dressing instead. Gotham Greens or Trader Joe’s have vegan one’s that I really like.
- Use the same pan to cook your veggies. I just make sure to clear out the pan before adding the next thing. You can be lazier and cook the corn and asparagus together. Do what you need to do.
Expert Tips
- Adjust the seasonings as needed. Salads benefit from layered flavors. That’s why you’ll note different stages where salt is being added. Make sure to taste as you are going along especially after blending your dressing and then again after mixing your salad together with the dressing. Add more salt if the salad is tasting bland. Add more acid from lemon or vinegar if some flavors are falling flat. And if too tangy, add a little more sweetener or oil to blunt the sharpness.
- Finely cut your veggies. This will make sure that you have more surface area for the dressing to coat itself to.
- See notes in the Short Cuts section to reduce cooking time and simplify the recipe further.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use a gluten-free pasta that you love. Personally, I really like lentil based pasta or the gluten-free pasta from Delallo. Just make sure to follow package instructions when using.
After dressing your pasta salad, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make It Balanced
You can make this pasta salad more of a meal by including some protein! This can be done by using a high-protein pasta like Brami, adding in some beans like white beans, or pairing the salad with some baked tofu or a vegan sausage.
More Veggie Loaded Salads to Try
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
Description
Use up that Spring produce to make this Spring Orzo Pasta Salad tossed in a creamy basil vinaigrette. Easy to modify and a great way to get your veggies in.
- Clean and trim your vegetables. Cut the corn kernels away from the cob. Trim away the woody end of the asparagus spears (about 1-2 inches), then slice the asparagus into 1/4 inch pieces. Lastly, trim the ends of the snap peas, and pull away any strings if necessary before thinly slicing them at a bias.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and generously salt the water. Cook the orzo until al dente according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- While the orzo cooks, add about 1 tbsp of oil to a medium-sized sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the corn to the pan, then spread the kernels to cover the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook undisturbed for 3-4 mins. Add a generous pinch of salt, give the corn a toss and sauté for 2 mins until the corn starts to lightly char around the edges. Transfer the corn to the mixing bowl and toss it together with the orzo.
- Place the same pan back on the burner, then add the asparagus with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3-4 mins, or until the asparagus is brighter green in color, then transfer to the bowl with the orzo. You can then add the snap peas, chives, pepitas, and arugula.
- Return the pan back to the burner and add 3 tbsp of oil. Add the garlic and shallot with a pinch of salt, then sauté for about 3-4 mins, or until lightly golden. Add the pumpkin seeds, and let them toast in the pan for 2-3 mins.
- Transfer the oil, garlic, shallots, and pumpkin seeds to a blender cup and allow to cool for 5 mins. Add 1 tbsp of oil along with the mustard, vinegar, agave, lemon zest and juice, and a generous pinch of salt. Blend until smooth. Add the basil, then blend again until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add 2 tbsp of water then blend again. Taste and adjust the salt or acidity as needed.
- Pour the dressing over the salad, giving everything a good mix until fully coated. Taste again and add additional salt or lemon as needed. Serve immediately or chill for later. Optionally, sprinkle with some red pepper flakes to taste and enjoy.
Notes
Adjust the seasonings as needed. Salads benefit from layered flavors. That’s why you’ll note different stages where salt is being added. Make sure to taste as you are going along especially after blending your dressing and then again after mixing your salad together with the dressing. Add more salt if the salad is tasting bland. Add more acid from lemon or vinegar if some flavors are falling flat. And if too tangy, add a little more sweetener or oil to blunt the sharpness.
Finely cut your veggies. This will make sure that you have more surface area for the dressing to coat itself to.
Swap in veggies or change ingredients to condense the cooking time. See notes in the Short Cuts section for detailed suggestions and substitutes to reduce cooking time.
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