Monday, May 17, 2010

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill, and Lemon


I recently picked up some vegetable orzo so when I got it home I started looking for orzo recipes. There are surprisingly not that many! I came across this orzo salad with chickpeas, dill and lemon and it had really good reviews so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm really glad I did because it is seriously so delicious. As much as I love fresh herbs I rarely use them because obviously they're much more expensive, but I bought fresh dill for this and WOW. Fresh dill - I forgot how amazing it was. Absolutely necessary to use fresh dill for this recipe. The recipe calls for feta, which is a yummy addition to the salad, but for me it's optional (and without feta it's vegan). This recipe is best on the first day but is good on subsequent days with an extra squeeze of lemon.


Sleeping Abby.


If this sounds good, you might also like:
Broccoli Slaw
French Pasta Salad
Tabbouleh
French Barley Salad

Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill, and Lemon
Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2002

Yield 4 servings

1 cup uncooked orzo
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
2 cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 can)
5-6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I like it really lemony, this might be too much for some people)
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

Combine pasta, onions, cheese, dill, and chickpeas in a large bowl, tossing gently to combine.

Combine juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss gently to coat.

15 comments:

Dana said...

I love those flavors together. I also love orzo and always have some on hand because it is sometimes difficult to find. I know fresh herbs can be expensive but they are so amazing in dishes like this!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Mmmmm, tht does sound tasty. I do love the flavour of fresh dill, although I use it mostly in potato salad. It smells so good too. I will have to try this salad. I know i would love it :)

grace said...

this would be the perfect thing to take to a picnic or potluck, both of which are about to come at me in spades--thanks!

saveur said...

This looks delicious and perfect since I just bought some fresh dill for your Hungarian Mushroom Soup. :)

This is another orzo salad recipe I like:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/re00031

Joanne said...

I've been trying to get a feel lately for where I can skimp on the fresh herbs and where they are absolutely necessary. This seems like one of the latter! What a great dish. Love the feta on top.

fresh365 said...

This is exactly the type I thing I love to eat for lunch every day! I haven't bought dill in awhile either- time to stock up!

Sarah S. said...

Aww, Abby! Yum, salad!

Anonymous said...

Yum! I love the flavor of dill in the spring/summertime!

bed frame said...

Abby is so cute in the picture! I want to have a pet like her! And as for the salad, looks yummy!

Deborah said...

I always seem to have chickpeas on hand, and this would be a wonderful recipe to use them in!

Hannah said...

This looks utterly delicious, and just the sort of flavors I've been into lately! I even found the best vegan "feta" at the grocery store recently... This sounds like the perfect use for it!

Carolina said...

Hola!.. Mira este enlace!!

http://elcalderodelapaca.blogspot.com/2010/05/ensalada-de-garbanzos-y-pasta-de.html

Hice tu receta de ensalada, estaba buenisima, aunque a mi no me gusto el sabor del Eneldo... pero lo solucione poniendo oregano.

Muchas gracias por la receta!!!!

Besos

saveur said...

Hey Ashley, I made this salad and thought it was very good! Thank you for sharing it. I pan-fried the chickpeas, though, because I prefer them a bit creamier/nuttier. An extra squirt of lemon was all in needed as leftovers. :)

I wrote about it here: http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/orzo-salad-with-roasted-chickpeas-dill-and-lemon/

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

Made this for dinner and the bowl was wiped clean. Thanks for posting.