Asparagus & Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
My easy Asparagus & Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad recipe is a delicious, fresh crowd pleaser with a fresh herb dressing and zesty arugula. Save the recipe to Pinterest so you can find it again!
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Servings: 8 - 10
Equipment
- Mason jar for mixing dressing
- Pot for blanching asparagus
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Asparagus & Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
- 1 lb cooked orzo pasta
- 1 lb asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1-2 inch pieces
- 3-4 cups fresh arugula, packed
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- Zest of 2 lemons
- Salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients for the Parmesan Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves grated or pressed garlic
- 1/2 shallot, diced
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh minced dill
- 3 tbsp fresh minced basil
- 2 tbsp fresh minced chives
- 1/8 cup fresh, finely grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
- A few twists of fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Boil a medium sized pot of water over medium heat. When boiling, add the asparagus for 3 minutes. When time is up, immediately strain them and put them in an ice bath for cooling. Strain again before using in the salad.
- Once the orzo is cooked, combine the orzo, arugula, red onion, pine nuts and cooled asparagus.
- In a mason jar or salad dressing jar, combine all the ingredients for the salad dressing and mix. If you want this to be finer, you can put it all in a food processor. Pour the dressing over the pasta salad and toss.
- To serve, top with the fresh lemon zest and sea salt and pepper to taste.