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.