Green Goddess Orzo Salad

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Total: 55 min
  • Active: 35 min
This pasta salad is all about green vegetables and herbs like peppery watercress, fragrant dill, raw asparagus and sugar snap peas. Reserving a bit of the dressing to toss with the salad right before serving, refreshes and revives some of the bright flavors that have already been soaked into the orzo.
Advertisement

Ingredients

For the Green Goddess Dressing:

1 1/4 cups packed fresh watercress (or baby spinach)

3/4 cup packed fresh parsley

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh tarragon

3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh chives

2 teaspoons capers

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice

1 small clove garlic

1/2 small shallot

Pinch of sugar

4 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the Orzo Salad:

8 ounces cooked orzo

3/4 cup cooked frozen peas

6 ounces marinated artichoke hearts, preferably grilled, drained and chopped (from a 14.5-ounce jar)

1/2 bunch asparagus (about 8 ounces), trimmed and thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas (about 6 ounces), strings removed and thinly sliced on the diagonal

Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup roughly torn fresh dill

Directions

  1. Make the dressing: Combine the watercress, parsley, dill, tarragon, chives, capers, lemon zest garlic, shallot and sugar in a blender or food processor.
  2. Add the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise and sour cream and puree until pale green and very smooth. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
  3. Make the salad: Combine the orzo, peas, artichoke hearts, asparagus and snap peas in a bowl; toss with 1 cup of the dressing. Season with pepper. Refrigerate to let the orzo absorb some of the dressing, 20 to 30 minutes. Toss with more dressing as needed, about 2 tablespoons at a time, then toss with the dill; store any remaining dressing, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Season with salt and pepper.

Let's Get Cooking!

Sign up for the Recipe of the Day newsletter to receive editor-picked recipes,tips and videos delivered to your inbox daily. Privacy Policy

Thanks for subscribing to the Recipe of the Day newsletter. Check out all our other great newsletters from Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos.

We're sorry, there was an error signing you up. Please try again later.

Advertisement

kristenstorey

Delicious but have to admit I used my own green goddess dressing that’s heavy on the dill. Grilled asparagus a bit, bought fresh English peas from trader goes and added some parm cheese - along with the other veggies in here. Lots of compliments!

See All Reviews