This lemon orzo pasta salad recipe is FULL of bright, fresh, summery flavor... Gorgeous red and yellow cherry tomatoes, bright parsley, and vibrant basil, along with a dose of fresh lemon zest and juice marry together to make the perfect side dish to share at your next gathering!

Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad for A Crowd
If you make just one recipe for your next cookout, it has to be this lemon orzo pasta salad! It's one of those go-to, back pocket recipes that you can always count on in a pinch. Just a few reasons why it's one of my faves:
1| It makes a BIG batch, which is perfect for a crowd. But if you're not feeding a crowd? It refrigerates well for several days. And trust me, you will have NO problem finishing it all off.
2| It's packed full of fresh vibrant flavors that make it an ideal easy side dish or salad year round. But it's especially delicious in summer when those juicy little cherry tomatoes are in peak season.
3| And finally, it can really stand up to the heat. When potato salads and macaroni salads filled with mayo are starting to appear a little suspect, this refreshing orzo salad is still hanging tough.
Don't be surprised when you see guests heading back for seconds... and then even thirds. It's THAT good! I certainly wouldn't count on having any leftovers to take home.
Summery Orzo Salad
This lemony basil orzo pasta salad is perfect this time of year. It highlights all of the great summery flavors that you can buy fresh right now -- gorgeous red and yellow cherry tomatoes, bright parsley, and vibrant basil, along with a healthy dose of fresh lemon zest and juice.
It's the type of summer salad that only gets better as the flavors marry together while it chills. So it's the perfect side to make earlier in the day for an evening gathering.
Not familiar with orzo? It looks very similar to rice, but it's actually a rice-shaped pasta. Orzo means "barley" in Italian, referring to the small, barley-like shape. I've tried several kinds of orzo, and I always come back to the DeLallo brand. I can count on it to cook up perfectly al dente, without a trace of the mushiness I've found with some other brands. Kroger and Walmart carry it around here, and I always grab several packages when I see it on sale to keep on hand.
Speaking of cooking orzo pasta, I always follow the cooking instructions from the DeLallo package, which I've outlined in the recipe directions. I know a quarter cup of salt sounds like a ton, but it gives the orzo massive flavor, and most of the salt stays behind in the water. When you use this method, you really shouldn't have to add much additional seasoning to the finished orzo salad.
Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe
While I adore this orzo salad as is, you can also add a 4-oz. container of crumbled feta cheese for more of a Mediterranean orzo salad. Or even turn it into a main dish by adding some sliced grilled chicken breast on top, which would also make this a fabulous meal prep recipe.
Either way, just make it ASAP -- I promise you won't be sorry you did!
Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo pasta
- ¼ cup salt for the cooking water
- 2 large lemons zested and juiced (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup roasted red peppers chopped
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved
- ½ cup green onions greens only, sliced
- ½ cup fresh flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1 (0.66-ounce) package fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 (4-ounce) container crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Bring 5 quarts of water to a rolling boil and add ¼ cup salt. Add the orzo pasta to the water and stir. Bring the water back up to a boil. Stirring occasionally, cook for 9 minutes.
- While the orzo is cooking, zest and juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl, and whisk in the olive oil.
- When the orzo is done cooking, drain it (do not rinse), and toss it with the dressing while still hot.
- Allow the pasta and dressing to cool while you chop the rest of the ingredients.
- Fold in the red peppers, grape tomatoes, green onions, parsley and basil.
- Refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve cold.
More Favorite Cookout Recipes
If you like this orzo pasta salad recipe, you might also enjoy these other delicious cookout recipes:
- Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe With Egg
- Hot German Potato Salad Recipe
- Slow Cooker Baked Beans
- Broccoli Slaw Ramen Noodle Salad
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Chicken Salad Recipe With Grapes And Pecans
Did you make this recipe?
I'd love to see how your orzo salad turns out... Tag me @Unsophisticook on Instagram or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!
Magda says
Hi! I want to try this recipe for my daughter's preschool fun fair. I have a question about red peppers. Should those be red bell peppers? And how do you roast them and how finely should they be chopped? Thanks!
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Magda! You can buy roasted red peppers in a jar. Typically they're packed in oil. Just drain off the oil and chop them up into 1/4" pieces.
Magda says
@Tara Kuczykowski, thank you! I guess I was overthinking the recipe ;) I did a double batch for the fun fair yesterday and it was a hit! It was all gone! I will definitely keep the recipe for later. Thank you again!
Tara Kuczykowski says
No problem -- so happy to hear it was a hit!!
Robin says
Can you make this two days before a bbq? Or perhaps part of it two days before and then finish with herbs and tomatoes the morning of or day before the bbq? I’m trying to prep and make as much as I can ahead of time. Thanks!
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Robin! Yes, you can definitely make the pasta part ahead. Like you mentioned, I would wait until the day you plan to serve it to stir the herbs and tomatoes in.
Gail Bohlman says
Love this salad but I love lemon! I added Asian cucumbers that I grew & topped with marinated grilled chicken. Served with French baguette bread and fresh grated parmesan to add. Great summer meal.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Oh my, that sounds amazing, Gail!! So happy you loved it — thanks for letting me know.
Lena says
Is your serving size 1 cup? Thanks
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Lena! A serving would be roughly 3/4 cup.
Diane says
I was looking for an orzo pasta salad like the one they make at Q39 in Kansas City. This is pretty close. Made this last night and took to a cookout/football party today. It’s all gone! It was delicious. Everyone loved it. I didn’t add enough salt to the water so I did end up having to add salt to the salad. My bad. I added a little pepper too. It is a keeper. Thank you.
Tara Kuczykowski says
Yay, so glad it was a hit, Diane!! I know it's a scary amount of salt to add to the cooking water, but it really does flavor the orzo so well that you shouldn't need to add any additional salt.
Alex Walters says
Approximately many basil leaves make up the package you use?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Alex! I'd say around 10-12 medium to large size leaves. It probably works out to about 1/2 cup chopped, same as the parsley.
Jourdan says
This looks amazing! Any ideas for substituting to make it gluten free?
Tara Kuczykowski says
Hi Jourdan! I'm not super well versed in what makes a recipe gluten free, but I do know that Delallo makes a gluten-free orzo pasta that would be perfect for this. Here's the link to it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2APMjzX or I'm sure they have a product locator on their website.
Laurie Rigdon says
I'm making this for our Teacher "Salad" Luncheon and wondered if you can prepare the night before? Just worried that it might get soggy. Thanks!
Tara Kuczykowski says
Oh, how fun! You can definitely prepare this orzo salad the night before. If you decide to add feta cheese, like I mentioned in the post, I would probably wait and stir that in the next morning before you leave. But everything else will still be delicious!
Dominique says
This was crazy delicious! Next time I’ll make double so I can keep some for myself! It was gone in a flash! Thank you for sharing!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Thanks for coming back to share a review, Dominique -- so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Dominique says
This was crazy delicious! Next time I’ll make double so I can keep some for myself! It was gone in a flash! Thank you for sharing!
Megan says
This salad is so delicious! The first time I made it with the 1/4 cup of salt but stupidly made it in a smaller pot so there was less water. The pasta came out tasting pretty salty so I rinsed it a bit but there was nothing I could do since I was serving it that night so I added in the rest of the ingredients and hoped for the best. It was SO good! The rest of the ingredients really balanced it out and it was the perfect amount of seasoning for a really flavourful pasta salad. Second time around I used a bigger pot and slightly less than 1/4 cup of salt (just because I feel guilty if I don't at least attempt to lighten things up a bit) and it's still fantastic! So I now make it that way all the time and I've made this recipe at least 5 times in the last couple months. It's great to keep in the fridge for a few days and use it as a last minute side dish, especially in the summer when cold salads are so great. I also sprinkle about 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup over my garden salads that I take for lunch and it makes the salad more enjoyable and I don't need dressing. Delicious! Thanks so much for a great recipe :)
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
I'm SO happy to hear how much you love it, Megan! And I think your comments on the salt are spot on. It sounds like a ton, but when you use the proper amount of salt and water, it really just flavors the pasta perfectly -- and the majority of the salt stays in the water. Thanks so much for weighing in!
Megan says
This salad is so delicious! The first time I made it with the 1/4 cup of salt but stupidly made it in a smaller pot so there was less water. The pasta came out tasting pretty salty so I rinsed it a bit but there was nothing I could do since I was serving it that night so I added in the rest of the ingredients and hoped for the best. It was SO good! The rest of the ingredients really balanced it out and it was the perfect amount of seasoning for a really flavourful pasta salad. Second time around I used a bigger pot and slightly less than 1/4 cup of salt (just because I feel guilty if I don't at least attempt to lighten things up a bit) and it's still fantastic! So I now make it that way all the time and I've made this recipe at least 5 times in the last couple months. It's great to keep in the fridge for a few days and use it as a last minute side dish, especially in the summer when cold salads are so great. I also sprinkle about 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup over my garden salads that I take for lunch and it makes the salad more enjoyable and I don't need dressing. Delicious! Thanks so much for a great recipe :)
Elizabeth says
This Pasta Salad...... I made it once, and we were hooked! My kids ask for this salad at least once a week!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
So happy to hear that! It's a fave here, too -- and it's usually gone the first day I make it.
Maria says
Will have to try this version. I make mine by roasting 9 bell peppers red, orange and yellow that I toss with fresh minced garlic Olive oil salt and pepper and instead of parsley and basil I use fresh mint leaves and add feta cheese. Gives it a great taste.
Suzi says
What a fresh, delicious summer salad! I reduced the salt to 1 Tbsp but otherwise made as is. Took it to a group event and everyone else loved it, too. New favorite for sure!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
So glad you loved it, Suzi! I know that salt sounds like a lot, but it's actually what DeLallo recommends on the orzo pasta package. Most of it stays in the water, and you won't need to season the salad much (if at all) after cooking.
Jennae @ Green & Gorgeous says
I'm a pasta salad lover, and I absolutely have to try this one. It looks SO good!
Linsey K says
That recipes looks so bright and light! But I really love the bowls in the photo. So Cheery!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Linsey, the mixing bowl is part of a set from Crate and Barrel. I'm so sad because the biggest one broke a few months ago. The small bowls are my absolute fave, though. I have them in a bunch of different colors and patterns -- they're from West Elm. The kids have broken a few of those too, but I was smart and bought extras. :)