Food for My Family

...one plate at a time.

Spring Orzo Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Artichokes

· · 93 Comments

This orzo pasta salad is loaded full of spring asparagus and artichokes. A bit of white wine vinegar and lemon juice make this the perfect salad for an early season picnic or a a springy Easter dinner.

Easter is less than two weeks away. It seems like it’s been coming forever, though, as it is so late this year. I’m not complaining, though. Too often there is still snow on the ground when Easter rolls around here in Minnesota, and a snow-covered yard does not make for good Easter egg hunts for the kids.

In preparation for a warm Easter this year, I made a bright and crisp pasta salad to go along with Easter dinner, a Virtual Easter Dinner, that is. I’m joining up with a group of fabulous women to bring you a full Easter Dinner menu, just as we did for Thanksgiving.

Virtual Easter Dinner Potluck

I have a love affair with using orzo pasta for pasta salads. I love how tiny and slippery it is, and the dressing coats well. This one starts with thin and crisp asparagus, shallots and garlic.

We’ll also need the juice and zest from a lemon, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes.

Start by dicing the asparagus into 1-2″ sections. When choosing asparagus, choose the thinnest spears you can find. They are most tender and the least woody. Blanch the spears in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. This is just long enough to cook them so they aren’t completely raw but still retain their snap. While the spears are blanching, sauté the minced shallots and garlic lightly.

Mix up a simple dressing with white wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper and olive oil.

Add all the salad fixings to the bowl: orzo pasta, quartered artichoke hearts, julienned sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, shallots, garlic and dressing. Mix it all together and let it cool and combine in the refrigerator.

I personally couldn’t help myself. I ate this for lunch, even though I was supposed to be saving it for dinner. It’s the perfect light side dish, and the bright flavor profile pairs well with the richer dishes at Easter like Aimee’s rosemary potato strudel.

 

1 bunch asparagus, about 3 cups diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces orzo pasta, cooked to al dente and cooled
15-ounce can artichoke hearts
1-1/2 cups sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, julienned
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil 

Bring a medium saucepan full of water to a boil. Turn off the burner, add in asparagus pieces and blanch for 2-3 minutes. While the asparagus is in the water, heat one tablespoon olive oil in a small sauté pan. Add in shallots and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, just until tender. Drain the asparagus and rinse with cool water.

In a large bowl add cooked orzo pasta, asparagus pieces and sautéed shallots and garlic. Drain artichoke hearts and quarter them, adding them to the bowl. Add in sun-dried tomatoes with oil and lemon zest. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl or container, whisk together lemon juice, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper. While continuously whisking, slowly pour olive oil into the vinegar. Once emulsified, stir the dressing into the salad. Move to the refrigerator for at least 5 hours for flavors to combine. Serve cold.

Makes 12-15 servings.
Copyright © Food for My Family.

Never miss a recipe! Have them delivered right to your RSS feed or to your inbox as an email!

Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • In the recipe, it says add in sun-dried tomatoes with oil. Does this mean to add the oil in the jar and then the 1/3 cup of olive oil in the dressing as well… It just seems like a lot of oil.

  11. Love the jars for display. That’s a really nice touch. I also love orzo for pasta salads, and use it quite often. I think it’s the perfect size. This recipe might grace my kitchen very soon too.

    • Blake grilled up some chicken while Hatti & I made this salad today. Everyone liked it – even Tessa. And I had “stolen” a couple big spoons of orzo to mix with butter and parmesan for her, thinking she wouldn’t be too keen on it. No need! A great spring & summer recipe!

    • I made this tonight for lunch tomorrow. Oh my goodness this taste wonderful. The aspargus is so crisp and the dressing has such wonderful flavor. I thought about adding grilled chicken to this too. Thanks again!

  43. This was so good. I didn’t measure anything just kinda of eye balled but I made this for a beautiful brunch I hosted today and needed a beautiful salad and it was a hit. I used the whole 16 oz of orzo and added a bunch of basil, extra sun dried tomato and next time would do toasted pine nuts.

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Some of My Favorites

Potato Leek Casoncelli Pasta with Walnut Pesto #recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com
Grilled Turmeric Ginger Shrimp and Mango Avocado Slaw with Cilantro Lime Dressing Recipe: Food for My Family
Homemade Salted Nut Rolls with Bourbon Caramel #recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com
Galete Waffle Cookies recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com
Curry Cauliflower Quinoa and Lentil Salad Recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com
Roasted Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream with Graham Cracker Waffle Cones \ FoodforMyFamily.com