Make Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad for lunch or dinner! Orzo pasta, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, etc. are mixed in Italian dressing.
Today I want to share a recipe I created for a delicious orzo salad with Italian dressing and lots of roasted vegetables! It can be enjoyed for dinners or quick lunches as a main dish or as a side dish.
The salad has 4 cups of seasoned, fresh roasted veggies in it, and you can use any combo of fresh veggies you enjoy, as long as you have 4 total cups of bite sized vegetables. I love to include many colorful vegetables with different textures, for a beautiful salad!
When I make this dish, I typically use broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, red and green bell pepper strips, baby carrots and red onion slices. The amount of each of these ingredients can be adjusted to suit your personal taste OR you can make it using other fresh veggies you enjoy.
You can’t really hurt this simple recipe, folks! It’s delicious, and will keep several days in the refrigerator, so we can have it around for a quick bite. Here’s how to make Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad.
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What Veggies To Use?
For this recipe I use a TOTAL of 4 cups of chopped vegetables, which includes baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, red onion, zucchini, and red & green bell peppers. All are cut into bite sized portions.
NOTE: It’s important to note that this combination of vegetables adds lots of color AND flavor to the salad. However, you can use your own combination of fresh vegetables if you prefer. Keep the total amount of chopped veggies at 4 cups!
Roast The Veggies
The first thing you will need to do is prepare the vegetables for roasting (cut/slice, etc.). Put all the prepped veggies in a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil and toss, until the vegetables are covered with the olive oil.
Now season the veggies with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then gently toss again, until the seasonings are evenly distributed. Place the seasoned veggies in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
Roast the veggies at 375°F. for 20-24 minutes. Halfway through the baking time, turn the veggies over in the pan, and then continue roasting.
When done, the vegetables should be lightly caramelized on the outside, and tender to the bite. Let them cool to room temperature, once done.
Cook The Orzo Pasta
While the vegetables are baking, prepare the orzo pasta according to the package directions. This involves cooking the pasta for approx. 9 minutes in boiling, salted water until done (easy!).
Once done, remove the pan from the heat, and drain the pasta, rinsing it with cold water to stop the cooking process.
After draining all the water from the cooked orzo, put the cooled orzo in a large serving bowl. Now it’s time to create the roasted veggie orzo salad.
Make The Salad
Add the cooled, roasted vegetables to the bowl of orzo. Stir gently, to combine the veggies with the pasta.
Pour Italian salad dressing over the veggies and pasta, and toss to fully combine all the ingredients. I like to use the salad dressing shown below (no- I’m not paid to endorse this product), but any well-seasoned Italian salad dressing will be perfectly fine to use.
NOTE: You want the salad ingredients to be well coated with Italian dressing, but not floating in it. I usually begin by adding ¼ cup of salad dressing and toss. Add more salad dressing and adjust to taste, as needed.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the roasted veggie orzo salad for at least 30 minutes before serving.
As the salad cools, the pasta will absorb some of the Italian dressing. If desired, add a little bit more dressing to the salad when you’re ready to serve it, to suit your own taste.
Serve The Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad
Once the salad has had time to chill, it’s ready to serve. It is a wonderful side dish, but can also be enjoyed as a meatless main dish, too!
TIP: Remember to take a quick bite before serving, and add a little more salad dressing (if necessary) to suit your personal taste!
I hope you have the opportunity to make this roasted veggie orzo salad, and trust you (and those you love) will enjoy it, too!
Thanks for stopping by today. Please come back again soon for more family-friendly recipes. Take care, may God bless you, and have a GREAT day!
Looking For More SALAD Recipes?
You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, which is located at the top of the page. I have lots of delicious salad recipes to check out, including:
- Cobb Salad
- Thanksgiving Salad
- BLT Wedge Salad
- Cranberry Pineapple Jello Salad
- Beet And Goat Cheese Salad
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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Make Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad for lunch or dinner! Orzo pasta, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, zucchini, etc. are mixed in Italian dressing.
- 4 cups fresh vegetables (your combination-see above) sliced or cut into bite sized florets/pieces
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup orzo pasta (uncooked)
- ¼ cup Italian salad dressing
Preheat oven to 375℉.
Put prepared veggies in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil; toss, until veggies are covered with oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; gently toss again. Place veggies in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
Roast veggies at 375°F. for 20-24 minutes. Halfway through baking time, turn veggies over in the pan; continue roasting, until lightly caramelized on the outside, and tender to the bite. Remove; cool to room temperature, once done.
While vegetables bake, prepare orzo according to package directions. Once done, remove pan from heat. Drain pasta, rinsing with cold water to stop the cooking process. Put well-drained orzo in large serving bowl.
Add cooled, roasted vegetables to the orzo. Stir gently, to combine. Pour Italian salad dressing over veggies/pasta; toss to combine. NOTE: You want salad ingredients to be well coated with Italian dressing, but not floating in it. Try adding about ¼ cup of salad dressing first and toss, then add more salad dressing, adjusting to taste, as needed.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate salad at least 30 minutes before serving. As the salad cools, the orzo will absorb some of the Italian dressing. Take a bite. If needed, add a bit more dressing right before serving, to suit your taste. Enjoy!
NOTE: The caloric calculation is a "basic" estimate because a variety of vegetables and/or salad dressings may be used. For the benefit of this "general calculation" I used 2 cups broccoli and 2 cups cauliflower. Obviously the combination (and individual quantity) of vegetables and Italian dressing you choose to use in this dish will yield a slightly different caloric value.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!