Orzo salad with asparagus and spinach – a quick and healthy pasta salad full of vegetables and flavor. In less than 20 minutes dinner is on the table.
This orzo salad with asparagus and spinach is one of my favorite ways to serve orzo pasta.
I make this orzo salad all the time – it’s quick to make, healthy and full of flavor – all my favorite things in a recipe.
This recipe is super easy to make. The orzo and asparagus are cooked together at the same time in one pot. When the orzo and asparagus are ready, they are added to the fresh spinach mixture and tossed until the spinach wilts.
How to make orzo salad with asparagus and spinach:
1. While the orzo and asparagus are cooking, add chopped spinach, kalamata olives, red onion and walnuts to a large bowl. Add half the dressing, stir to combine and let sit until the orzo and asparagus are done.
2. When the orzo and asparagus are ready, drain and add directly to the spinach mixture in the bowl. Add remaining dressing and stir the hot orzo, asparagus and spinach together for a minute or two until the spinach wilts.
3. Add feta cheese, gently stir to combine and you’re ready to serve.
Additional ingredients you can add to this recipe:
- Want to add more veggies to this dish? Then try adding minced sun-dried tomatoes, sliced cherry tomatoes or marinated artichoke hearts.
- If you want to boost the protein in this dish, black beans or chickpeas would be a great addition.
Tips for making this recipe:
- This recipe comes together quickly, so prep all your ingredients first. Having everything ready will make assembling this dish a breeze.
- You’ll be using only one pot for this recipe – the orzo and the asparagus cook together in the same pot.
- You can make this orzo salad a day ahead if you want – it holds up well in the fridge.
- I love orzo salads since they are so versatile – it works as a main dish or a side dish. It’s good warm or cold. Leftovers are perfect to pack up for lunch the next day.
- I used the Dececco brand of pasta – their orzo is a bit smaller than regular orzo. But regular orzo will work just fine in this recipe.
- Orzo expands as it cooks, so it may not look like a lot when you first measure it out but it doubles in size when cooked.
- Orzo may look like rice, but it is a small oval shaped pasta that you can find in the pasta aisle at the local market.
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If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please come back and leave a comment and rating. I’d love to hear from you!
PrintOrzo Salad with Asparagus and Spinach
Orzo salad with asparagus and spinach – a quick and healthy pasta salad full of vegetables and flavor. In less than 20 minutes dinner is on the table.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 19 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: pasta
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked orzo
1 veggie bouillon cube
12 oz bunch of asparagus
3 cups fresh baby spinach – roughly chopped
1/4 cup walnut pieces
12 kalamata olives – chopped
1/4 cup red onion – finely minced
2 oz feta cheese – diced
Dressing
3 tbs olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 minced garlic clove
8 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
pinch of salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
As you bring a large pot of water to a boil, prep all your ingredients. Snap off tough ends of the asparagus and cut into bites sized pieces. Roughly chop spinach, chop up the olives, mince the red onion and dice the feta cheese.
Once the water comes to a boil, add orzo and bouillon cube. Cook orzo for the amount of time on the package.
You are going to be cooking the orzo and asparagus together in the same pot. Add the asparagus to the orzo when there are 4 minutes of cooking time left before the orzo is done.
Add chopped spinach, walnuts, kalamata olives and minced red onion to a large bowl.
Whisk together dressing ingredients and toss half the dressing over the spinach mixture and stir to combine. Set the remaining dressing aside.
When the orzo and asparagus are ready, drain and add directly to the spinach mixture in the bowl.
Add the remaining dressing to the orzo, asparagus and spinach mixture.
Stir everything together for a minute or two until the spinach wilts.
Add feta and gently stir to combine.
Serves 2 as a main meal and 4 as a side dish.
Notes
You are cooking the orzo and asparagus together in the same pot. Follow the cooking time on the box of orzo. You’ll be adding the asparagus to the orzo 4 minutes before the orzo is done cooking. So if your orzo takes 11 minutes to cook then you will want to add the asparagus after the orzo has cooked for 7 minutes.
If your asparagus is on the thin side, add it to the orzo 3 minutes before the orzo is done.
Nutrition info is based on 4 side servings.
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please come back and leave a comment and rating. I’d love to hear from you!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 of 4
- Calories: 383
- Sugar: 5 grams
- Fat: 20.9g
- Carbohydrates: 39.6g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 12.5g
Keywords: Orzo Salad, Orzo with spinach
Sabrina Riemer
Made this for our dinner. We didn’t have the kalamata olives so I substituted green olives. It turned out pretty good. I think I will like it better when it is refrigerated overnight.
★★★★
Geraldine
Thanks, Sabrina – glad you enjoyed it.
Debi Campbell
Fantastic flavor in this recipe! I served it to company and everyone raved about it. Only thing I added was grape tomatoes cut in half.
Geraldine
Thanks Debi! – really glad you enjoyed this. I add grape tomatoes as well sometimes! Thanks for leaving a comment – I appreciate it.
Laura K
I made this for dinner tonight, and even my meat-loving husband and teenage son loved it! The variety of textures and bursts of flavors in every bite were amazing. Next time I make it I will rinse the red onions before I add them (tones down the bite a little), and I will add lemon juice. I didn’t have any chick peas, or I would have tried adding those for a little more protein/bulk. I also really loved how quick the whole thing was to prepare, even though all the ingredients are fresh and healthy; it’s perfect for busy weeknights!
★★★★★
Geraldine
So glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe, Laura! Chickpeas are a great add in – also cherry tomatoes are a good choice if you want to add some more veggies. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating – I really appreciate hearing from you!
Sheila in MD
Hi! This looks wonderful! I want to make this for a pot luck on Sat but I will be traveling to the site and spending night in hotel…so need to make it on Friday and then keep in cooler. Do you think it will work or do you have any “make ahead” tips to share? Thanks much!
Kathy
What white wine vinegar did you use?
Geraldine
Hi Kathy: I used Trader Joe’s white wine vinegar – but any brand from the market should be fine.
Betty
Delicious! Quick and easy. Perfect for company and nice for a bbq.
Will be making again.
★★★★★
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed it, Betty! Thanks for leaving a comment and rating – I really appreciate the hearing from you!
Ginette
I used balsamic vinegar in lieu of red wine vinegar. Switched toasted pine nuts for walnuts and arugula for spinach. Finally, added a chiffonnade of basil. Amazing result!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hi Ginette – Love hearing how you changed this recipe up! Thanks for leaving a comment and a rating – I really love to hear from readers how they liked the recipe!
Rosie
It was amazing!!! I added some tomatoes I had on hand as well but it was perfect!!! It’s going to be my new go to salad!!!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hi Rosie – thanks so much for letting me know! I’ve been adding in tomatoes as well – you can change this up so easy – artichoke hearts would be a great add in also. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and rating – I really appreciate it!
jenny
This sounds amazingggg
Geraldine
Thanks, Jenny!
April
Just made this and am eating now, SO GOOD. The only change I made was no olives, a pinch more salt.
★★★★★
Geraldine
Thanks so much, April. So glad you enjoyed it!
Anita
I made this for dinner this evening. My husband and I loved it! I didn’t use the bouillon as I need to watch my sodium intake. I added a little sea salt and Mrs. Dash onion & herb to the water when cooking the orzo and asparagus. I would never have thought to cook them both in the same pot, great idea! I served the salad with fresh wild salmon. It was a delicious combo! I am anxious for my daughter to try this salad. She is a vegetarian and I’m always looking for quick meals she can enjoy with us. Thank you, it’s a winner!!
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know, Anita. So glad you and your husband enjoyed it – I’m sure your daughter will enjoy it too. If you have any leftovers, add some cherry tomatoes for an easy lunch!
Anita
I forgot to give you my rating!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Thanks so much for leaving a rating, Anita!
Sheila in MD
This looks wonderful! I want to make it for a potluck on Saturday but traveling tomorrow so have to make it and hold it for a day-does it keep well or any tips for making it ahead? Thanks much!
Geraldine
Hi Sheila – the salad should be okay to make ahead but the spinach won’t be as green as in the picture on my site. You might want to try making the pasta salad and not adding the spinach until your potluck. If you do that, I would only add half the spinach (1 1/2 cups) since the pasta won’t be hot and it won’t wilt the spinach. Or you could omit the spinach and add some fresh herbs instead – parsley and basil. Let me know how it works out for you!
Kankana
Such a perfect summer meal! And I love that you added feta at the end.
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Kankana!
sue | theviewfromgreatisland
I’m gobbling asparagus every which way right now, and this way will be next!!
Geraldine
Asparagus season is my favorite too, Sue! Hope you try it.
Aimee
I’m sooooo into orzo at the moment and this looks like it would compliment all those basic chicken dinners I’ve been making lately and maybe even bump them up a level from basic. Love this!
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Aimee. Hope you try it!
Sheila
This is a fabulous recipe, the asparagus is bright green, the spinach melts into everything.The dressing is lovely and garlicky. Quite sensational.
★★★★★
Geraldine
Thanks, Mom! Love that you make all my recipes! If you have any leftovers, I added some cherry tomatoes to it and it was great. XO
Mimi
Lovely. I always cook pasta and veggies, or potatoes and veggies together in the same pot! So smart! The ingredients are incredible. I like the spinach and asparagus combo.
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Mimi! I haven’t tried potatoes and veggies in the same pot – I’ll have to try that.
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
I am loving this salad, Geraldine! I’m a huge fan of orzo… and asparagus and spinach for that matter, so this is right up my alley! I wish I had this for lunch AND dinner today! This is definitely a MUST try! Cheers!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Cheyanne – I had no problem eating this two times in a row – lunch and dinner! Hope you try it.
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
For the love of Orzo!! I completely understand, Geraldine! And this salad.. so versatile, so many ways to enjoy. I’m all in and you know would love to take this on a picnic with me! Delicious work so beautifully captured… Thank you for sharing!
Geraldine
Lol, Traci – you made me laugh when you said “for the love of orzo” – that’s what I should have called this post! And yes to picnics!
Geraldine
Hi Geraldine. Your delicious recipe caught my eye. I can’t wait to try it. I’m not used to making my own dressings, would I be able to substitute apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar? And is there a store-bought bottled dressing that could be comparable to the home-made for this recipe.
Thank you for your input,
a fellow Geraldine
Geraldine
Hello Geraldine! I haven’t tried apple cider vinegar so I don’t know how that would taste. There are some really good store dressings – I like the Annie’s Organics line. They have a red wine vinegar and olive oil vinaigrette – but I would add the crushed garlic and red pepper flakes as described in the recipe instructions. If you use store bought you’ll want about 4 tablespoons of dressing to cover the salad. Hope you try it!
[email protected]
So happy I saw this just before heading out to the grocery store! I love orzo! And your mix-ins are making me very happy! De-lish!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hi Annie – glad the dish is making you happy! I’ve been seeing a lot of asparagus in the market (at a good price) and knew this was the recipe to share! Hope you enjoy it.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
This sounds so good Geraldine! I love easy, light and flavorful meals like this one! Asparagus is one of my favorites too. Love the kalamata olives and feta too! I’ll definitely be trying!
★★★★★
Geraldine
Hi Mary Ann! I’m all for light and easy meals, too – especially fast ones – hope you try it and enjoy!