Grilled Vegetable Orzo Salad

5 from 4 votes

Grilled Vegetable Orzo Salad

With zucchini, yellow squash, peppers and red onions, this easy grilled vegetable orzo salad is loaded with veggies and tossed in a white wine vinaigrette.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Salads

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings:

Author: Paige Adams

Ingredients

For orzo

1 cup orzo
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil

For vegetables

2 zucchini, sliced lengthwise 1/2” thick
2 yellow squash, sliced lengthwise 1/2” thick
2 red bell peppers, cut lengthwise into 2-inch wide strips
1 red onion, sliced into 1/2” thick rounds
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill on medium high heat
Cook the orzo in a large pot of salted boiling water on the stove until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water in a fine mesh strainer.
In a large bowl, whisk the garlic, mustard, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, white wine vinegar and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Stir in the orzo.
Toss the zucchini, squash, peppers, onions with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Grill the vegetables until they have grill marks and are charred at the edges, about 3-4 minutes per side for the onions and 2-3 minutes per side for zucchini, squash and peppers.
Dice the grilled vegetables.
Stir the grilled vegetables and parsley into the orzo. Taste the salad to see if it needs any additional salt and/or pepper.

Notes

You can make the salad dressing up to 3 days in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before you stir it into the salad.

Leftover pasta salad can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

How to roast vegetables instead of grilling: Cut the zucchini, squash, peppers and onions into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss them with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Then spread them across 2 sheet pans in a single layer. Roast at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through roasting, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned at the edges.

Optional Additions

Keep in mind that this recipe is vegan as written, and not all the following suggestions are plant-based:

Cheese: torn fresh mozzarella, crumbled feta or goat cheese, grated parmesan
Nuts: toasted walnuts, pine nuts or sunflower seeds
Leafy greens: baby arugula or spinach
Chickpeas or white beans
Diced avocados
Pitted Kalamata olives
Hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Nutrition