Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad

A recipe for Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad! Orzo is tossed with vibrant green vegetables, feta, and a lemon dressing for quite the refreshing pasta salad.

This Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad is perfect for a light lunch, alongside grilled meat, or even as a part of a springtime picnic. Best of all, everything comes together in less than 30 minutes with just a bit of prep.

After cooking the orzo just until tender, it is tossed with vibrant asparagus pieces, sliced cucumbers, green onions, crumbled feta, and fresh herbs. To finish, the pasta and vegetables are all coated in a light lemon dressing.

Serve the pasta salad immediately after assembling or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days and serve chilled.

Orzo

Orzo is a short cut pasta that looks similar in style to over-sized rice with its tapered ends. The name translates to barley in Italian and is sometimes referred to as rosa marina (slightly thinner than orzo).

This dense, little pasta shape is common in many cuisines across the Mediterranean. It is perfect for pilafs, salads, and soups/stews.

If you do not have orzo available, swap for 1 pound (450 grams) of another medium dried pasta shape such as shells, farfalle, or rotelle.

A Few Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad Tips

If making the lemon dressing ahead of time, refrigerate until needed. The olive oil may solidify when chilled, so bring to room temperature for about 15 minutes and whisk well before using.

Try to get thinner asparagus spears if possible. This will keep them from overwhelming the small size of the orzo.

To keep the asparagus fresh longer, place the spears upright in a drinking glass with 1-2 inches (2.5-5 centimeters) of water. Cover the spears loosely with a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Remove the woody ends of the asparagus spears before cutting into 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) pieces.

Not a fan of asparagus, green onion, or cucumber? Substitute with another favorite vegetable such as halved cherry tomatoes, diced bell peppers, or baby spinach.

For the herbs, I generally use fresh parsley, basil, mint, or a combination depending on what I have on hand. Other herbs such as dill would also work well.

Stir the orzo often as it simmers, especially around the bottom and sides of the pan. It tends to stick more than other types of pasta.

Allow the pasta and asparagus to cool briefly before adding the remaining ingredients, especially the cucumber slices and feta.

Adjust the seasonings to taste. This also goes for the lemon dressing. Add more or less to the pasta salad as desired.

If you want less cheese, drop the amount of feta to 3-4 ounces (85-113 grams).

Looking for more pasta salad recipes?

Try my:

• Springtime Pasta Salad
• Honey Mustard Pasta Salad
• Halloween Pasta Salad

This recipe was originally posted in May 2018 and updated in March 2025.

Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe

Adapted from RecipeTin Eats

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Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad

A recipe for Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad! Orzo is tossed with vibrant green vegetables, feta, and a lemon dressing for quite the refreshing pasta salad.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine N/A

Keyword asparagus, cucumber, feta, lemon, orzo, pasta, pasta salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6 Servings

Ingredients

Lemon Dressing:

• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) olive oil
• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• zest from 1 lemon
• 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad:

• 1 pound (450 grams) dried orzo pasta
• 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 10 thin asparagus spears woody stem discarded and cut into 1 inch (2.5 centimeter) pieces
• 2 green onions thinly sliced
• 1 English cucumber or 3 mini cucumbers, halved and cut into 1/4 inch (6 millimeter) thick slices
• 6 ounces (170 grams) freshly crumbed feta cheese
• 1/4 cup (6 grams) fresh parsley, basil, and/or mint chopped

Instructions

To make the lemon dressing:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, salt, and pepper until well combined. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Set aside or cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Bring to room temperature before using.

To make the Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook, stirring often, until al dente, just tender.
• Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with 1-2 tablespoon (15-30 milliliters) of the lemon dressing to keep the pasta from sticking.
• In a skillet, drizzle 1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) olive oil over medium low heat.
• Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
• Stir in the asparagus pieces and cook until tender and bright green in color, about 3-4 minutes.
• Remove from heat and toss with the tender orzo.
• Once the pasta and asparagus are no longer hot, toss in the green onion, cucumber, feta, and fresh herbs.
• Fold in as much of the lemon dressing as desired to evenly coat. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to three days and serve chilled.