Easy Vegan Orzo Salad Recipe With A Dijon Twist

Orzo puts a twist on regular pasta salad, especially if you're looking to switch things up from the standard big bites of pasta. The very small cut of short pasta gives each bite a more silky mouthfeel than larger, more widely used pasta shapes like rotini, farfalle, or shells. Just don't confuse orzo with rice, though the two do look quite similar. Making orzo pasta salad can be as simple as swapping another pasta shape with orzo and mixing it with your favorite add-ins and dressing. However, because the small size of the pasta, it works better when the ingredients are chopped on the smaller side.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for orzo pasta salad with Dijon vinaigrette that's a good choice for spring. Orzo comes together with fresh vegetables like grape tomatoes and bell peppers as well as more strongly flavored marinated mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and black olives. Arugula adds a light peppery touch while fresh basil and mint contribute bright herby notes. The recipe is vegan as-written, but that doesn't mean you can't top off your orzo pasta salad with some fresh feta or grilled chicken, if desired.

For the Dijon vinaigrette, you will need extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, crushed garlic, salt, and black pepper. The pasta salad calls for dry orzo pasta, olive oil, grape tomatoes, bell pepper, peas, and corn. You'll also need black olives, artichoke hearts, and marinated mushrooms. Finally, grab some arugula and fresh basil and mint to complete the dish.

Place a large baking sheet in the refrigerator to chill. Meanwhile, whisk all the vinaigrette ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Taste and adjust for seasonings if desired. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the orzo pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente according to the package directions, about 9 minutes.

Drain the pasta (do not rinse it), and put it back in the empty pot, stirring in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the pasta is evenly coated.

Take the baking sheet out of the refrigerator and spread the pasta out on the cold baking sheet. Set aside until the pasta is cool, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the pasta to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining pasta salad ingredients, and pour the vinaigrette on top. Toss well.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 days. If serving later, bring the pasta salad back up to room temperature before serving.

Pasta salad is easily customizable, and vegan orzo pasta salad is no exception. The list of vegetables and add-ins can be swapped or modified according to availability or taste. The Dijon vinaigrette could be made with apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar if desired, as well as finely minced shallot instead of garlic. Grape tomatoes could be substituted with cherry tomatoes or even sun-dried tomatoes, and using fava beans or edamame instead of peas will amp up the protein while keeping things green and fresh. The corn kernels can be fresh, frozen, or canned, depending on what's in season or what's available, and the bell peppers can be any color. Instead of arugula, you could mix in baby spinach, which may be easier to find. We've chosen fresh basil and mint to complement this recipe, but feel free to stir in your favorite fresh herbs.

Another way to customize vegan pasta salad is to include ingredients along a certain flavor theme. For example, you could give the salad a Middle Eastern theme by adding soy yogurt to the dressing and mixing in raisins or chopped dried apricots and pine nuts. Go Greek with red onion, Kalamata olives, and dried oregano, but hold the feta to keep it vegan. A fun lemon version could include lemon juice in the dressing instead of vinegar and lemon zest for a bright pop of citrus flavor.

You can make this dish up to four days in advance if that's more convenient. Just follow a few simple pasta salad tips to help make it taste as fresh as possible. If you make the entire dish ahead and refrigerate it, we recommend storing delicate ingredients like tomatoes and fresh herbs in separate containers and mixing them in right before serving, since they tend to wilt or look less than fresh after sitting in the mixed pasta salad overnight. You can also opt to prep the individual ingredients and store them in containers, assembling the whole salad before serving. Either way, let the pasta salad sit out on the counter until it comes back to room temperature before enjoying to avoid less than ideal textures and flavors.

Pasta salad may lose moisture while refrigerated, so it's a good idea to reserve part of the dressing in a separate container and toss it with the pasta salad before serving to restore any lost moisture and separate any stuck pieces of pasta. It will also make the whole pasta salad look fresher and livelier. If you didn't save any dressing, a drizzle of olive oil before tossing will also work.

Taste the pasta salad before serving it after making it ahead. You may need to add more salt to bring it back to its original flavor because chilling food tends to dampen the aroma and flavor of chilled dishes like pasta salad.