This Roasted Vegetable Shrimp Orzo Salad is the ULTIMATE spring pasta salad! Loaded with roasted veggies, tender shrimp, crumbled feta, and fresh herbs, it’s deliciously flavorful and perfect for lunch or dinner!
Spring is just around the corner, and along with it, all the best spring veggies. Time to get out of the winter dinner rut and into some fresh new recipes… starting with this Orzo Salad!
A delicious combination of orzo pasta, roasted vegetables, shrimp, feta, and fresh herbs… it’s delicious hot or cold and is literally SO easy to customize.
Swap the shrimp for chicken or sausage and use any combination of vegetables you have on hand. You can also choose your fresh herbs, your cheese, and even your vinaigrette!
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Healthy: This salad is packed with fresh, heathy ingredients like shrimp, veggies, and fresh herbs.
Flavorful: Between the feta, the fresh herbs, and the homemade vinaigrette, there’s SO MUCH delicious flavor!
Meal prep: The perfect recipe for meal prep and weekday lunches!
what you’ll need for this recipe
Orzo – I used one box (1 pound) of dry orzo pasta. Orzo is a small rice-shaped pasta that can be found near all the other boxed pastas at the grocery store.
Chicken or Vegetable Broth – This ingredient is optional, but adds extra flavor to the salad when you use it to boil the orzo (instead of water).
Shrimp – I added 1 pound of cooked shrimp, tails removed. Feel free to buy pre-cooked shrimp or cook it yourself… whichever you prefer.
Veggies – I used a combination of eggplant, squash, zucchini, orange pepper, and red onion. You can use any vegetables you like, including mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, or brussels sprouts.
Veggie Marinade – I coated the veggies in a combination of olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper before roasting.
Feta – I added 8 ounces of crumbled feta for a delicious salty flavor and creamy texture. Substitute shaved parmesan, fresh mozzarella or crumbled goat cheese if you prefer.
Herbs – I added 1/4 cup fresh dill and 1/3 cup fresh parsley for a fresh pop of flavor. To substitute dried, use 3-4 teaspoons each dried dill and dried parsley.
Dressing – To dress this salad I used a simple vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, dijon mustard, salt & pepper.
how to make orzo salad
Chop the veggies. Chop the veggies into uniform pieces. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Make the marinade. Prepare the veggie marinade by combining 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Whisk well; drizzle over chopped vegetables and toss to coat.
Roast the veggies. Spread the vegetables on 2 large, rimmed baking sheets lined with foil. Roast at 400° for 10-15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Vegetables should be tender-crisp.
Cook the orzo. Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Drain, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Make the dressing. Prepare the dressing by combining 1/2 cup olive oil, 6 Tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 1 1/2 Tablespoons dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Whisk well.
Season the shrimp. Place the shrimp in a small mixing bowl or gallon size ziploc bag. Pour 1/3 cup of dressing over the shrimp and toss to coat.
Combine. Combine the cooked orzo with the roasted veggies, seasoned shrimp, crumbled feta, chopped dill and parsley, and remaining dressing. Toss until well combined.
Recipe Variations
- Substitute any kind of pasta in place of orzo
- Use any of your favorite veggies (e.g. broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, brussels sprouts, or tomatoes)
- Substitute grilled chicken breast or flavored chicken sausage for the shrimp
- Use store bought vinaigrette to save time
- Substitute shaved Parmesan, crumbled goat cheese or fresh mozzarella pearls for the feta
- Add a kick of heat with crushed red pepper flakes
- Substitute fresh basil for the dill
how to cook orzo for salad
- Bring water or broth to a boil in a large saucepan (4 quarts liquid to 1 pound orzo.)
- Once boiling, stir in the orzo. Return to a rapid boil.
- Cook, uncovered, until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite (about 8-9 minutes.)
- Drain well.
*To keep cooked pasta fresh for later use, toss with a small amount of olive oil and refrigerate.
storing & reheating
Leftover Orzo Salad should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It can be eaten straight from the fridge, at room temperature, or warmed in the microwave, stovetop or oven.
more shrimp recipes
Love shrimp as much as we do? Be sure to try some of our other favorites!
- Shrimp Scampi
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos
- Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
- Shrimp Ceviche
- Shrimp Fajitas
- Air Fryer Shrimp
- Teriyaki Shrimp Crostini
Roasted Vegetable Shrimp Orzo Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 pound dry orzo
- 1 pound cooked peeled shrimp (tails removed)
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 medium yellow squash
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 red onion
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 8 ounces crumbled feta
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
Marinade
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dressing
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 6 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables into uniform pieces. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- Prepare the marinade by combining 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Whisk well; drizzle over the chopped vegetables and toss to coat.
- Spread the vegetables on 2 large, rimmed baking sheets lined with foil. Roast at 400° for 10-15 minutes, tossing halfway through, until tender-crisp.
- Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Drain, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Prepare the dressing by combining 1/2 cup olive oil, 6 Tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 1 1/2 Tablespoons dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Whisk well.
- Place the shrimp in a small mixing bowl or gallon size ziploc bag. Pour 1/3 cup of dressing over the shrimp and toss to coat.
- Combine the cooked orzo with the roasted veggies, seasoned shrimp, crumbled feta, chopped dill and parsley, and remaining dressing. Toss until well combined.
- Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for later.
Notes
Recipe Variations
- Substitute any kind of pasta in place of orzo
- Use any of your favorite veggies (e.g. broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, brussels sprouts, or tomatoes)
- Substitute grilled chicken breast or flavored chicken sausage for the shrimp
- Use store bought vinaigrette to save time
- Substitute shaved Parmesan, crumbled goat cheese or fresh mozzarella pearls for the feta
- Add a kick of heat with crushed red pepper flakes
- Substitute fresh basil for the dill
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