Full of flavor and color, this Asparagus Orzo Salad is packed with tender asparagus, sweet peas, parsley and sundried tomatoes, all tossed in a tangy lemon vinaigrette.
Spring Orzo Salad Loaded with Veggies, Herbs and Lemon Vinaigrette!
This salad is perfect for orzo lovers. It’s fresh, bright, and loaded with all the good stuff—seasonal veggies and herbs. It’s great on its own as a vegetarian dish, but if you want to bulk it up, go for it! I added sautéed shrimp to half of mine, and it was a total hit.
- Asparagus
- Shallot
- Peas – Fresh or frozen
- Orzo
- Sundried tomatoes
- Parsley – Regular or Italian parsley
- Parmesan cheese –
- Medium shrimp (optional) – Peel and be sure to devein your shrimp!
This salad is all tied together with a simple, lemon vinaigrette made with olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, lemon juice, fresh dill, and some salt.
How to Prep Asparagus
First you want to wash asparagus with cold water to remove any debris, then pat dry with paper towels.
Bottom of asparagus stalk is very tough so it’s best to trim 1 inch of asparagus ends with a knife. I also like to peel lower ends (about one-third) with a vegetable peeler to remove the hard outer layer.
Tips for Asparagus Orzo Salad
- Choose thick, plump asparagus for tenderness. Thin to very thin asparagus tends to be tough and stringy.
- Char asparagus in a cast-iron skillet. Charred asparagus is tender and tasty with smoky, caramelized flavors.
- No mushy peas. Add peas at the end so it doesn’t turn mushy.
- Rehydrate sundried tomatoes before you combine with other ingredients. You don’t want to bite into hard and dry sundried tomatoes.
- Prevent orzo from getting clumpy. Add 1 tablespoon vinaigrette to the cooked orzo so it does not clump up.
How to Serve
This salad can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature or chilled! For anyone who wants sautéed shrimp with the salad, arrange them on top of each salad serving.
Serve this gorgeous and delicious salad in a pretty shallow bowl. My all time favorite is the pasta bowl from Burleigh Pottery. This pasta bowl comes in different patterns and colors and I use this pasta bowl almost daily.
Variations of Asparagus Orzo Pasta
Orzo salad is very versatile. Here are some variations to consider:
- Instead of parsley, add fresh dill.
- For add-ins, try chopped roasted chicken, crispy bacon or sautéed scallops.
- Try feta or goat cheese instead of Parmesan.
Asparagus Orzo Salad
Ingredients
Asparagus Orzo Salad
- 1 bundle asparagus
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 shallot thinly sliced
- 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
- 1 cup orzo
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes
- ⅔ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup italian parsley chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 oz medium shrimp ( about 10 shrimp) peeled and deveined. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper
Lemon Vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil
- juice of 1 large lemon. Use 1½ lemons if small.
- 1½ tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp creamy dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
Instructions
Lemon Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, honey, salt chopped dill and set aside.
Asparagus Orzo Salad
- Wash asparagus and pat dry with paper towels. Trim one inch of asparagus ends with a knife then peel lower ends (about one-third) with a vegetable peeler. If spears are thin, then trim lower ends with a knife. Cut remaining stalks in a slant.
- Bring pot to a boil. Use some of the boiled water to rehydrate sundried tomatoes. Leave for 10-15 minutes or until tomatoes are tender. Drain water, and squeeze out excess water with your hands. Rough chop sundried tomatoes and set aside.
- Add salt to boiling water and cook orzo according to instructions on the box. Once done, drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon vinaigrette, chopped parsley, sundried tomatoes and half of parmesan cheese and mix until well combined and set aside.
- Heat cast-iron skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add asparagus, and cook for 7-8 minutes. Toss asparagus occasionally to prevent over charring. Reduce heat to medium, add one tablespoon olive oil and stir in shallots to combine. Once shallots are translucent, toss in peas, then add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer asparagus mixture to a plate and set aside.
- Using the same skillet over medium heat, add one table spoon olive oil. Sauté shrimp for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add asparagus mixture, rest of parmesan cheese and vinaigrette to the orzo mixture and mix until combined.
- Serve the salad chilled or at room temperature. Transfer orzo salad to an individual bowl and add sautéed shrimp on top of salad serving.
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