Lemon Orzo Salad {Vegan}
Lemon Orzo Salad {Vegan} is a delicious vegan/vegetarian side dish with lots of veggies and a bright lemon vinaigrette. Gluten free option.

Ina Garten is my hero! Everything I’ve made of hers has been fantastic and this dish just hammers home that point. I first saw this on Live.Love.Eat., and it looked so fresh and so good. Although it’s great for summer, I thought it would be a nice year-round dish.
My lab had a holiday potluck lunch and, in addition to the Buche de Noel, I wanted to bring a meatless option for a vegetarian graduate student in the lab (and for my poultry-only self!)
This dish was perfect! The awesome roasted vegetable flavors, the tender orzo, the light dressing, the fresh basil – SO SO SO good. I made it the night before and it was perfect – any dish that can be made in advance is a plus in my book.

Last month I was dabbling a bit in reducing my dairy intake, and in the process visited a few vegan cooking blogs, so I’m more aware of vegan dishes. I realized that I am not prepared to give up my precious dairy, but I’m conscious of when I eat it and whether it’s absolutely necessary in the dishes I prepare. I actually thought the feta cheese was a little much for this – I may have preferred it without. Don’t get me wrong, it does add an interesting flavor and creaminess, but I think this would still be an outstanding dish without it. If any of you out there are vegan or vegetarian, or cooking for someone who is, I highly recommend this dish!
Also try my Healthy Pasta Primavera Salad (vegan option)!

Gluten Free Roasted Vegetable Orzo
Use a gluten free orzo in place of traditional orzo pasta for an entirely gluten free side dish.

Looking for More Orzo Recipes?
Check out my other recipes with orzo pasta:
Orzo with Parmesan and Basil
Creamy Orzo
Orzo Stuffed Peppers
Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Olive Orzo
Looking for Other Side Dishes?
Check out these other side dish recipes:
Italian Charcoal Grilled Corn
Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Sweet Corn Tomalito – Chevy’s Copycat
Summer Vegetable Pasta
Crash Hot Potatoes
Garlic Roasted Cauliflower
Chinese Slaw
Cilantro Coconut Rice
Mexican Rice
Parmesan Potatoes
Fleming’s Potatoes Copycat

Lemon Orzo Salad {Vegan}
Ingredients
- 1 small eggplant (peeled and diced into 3/4-inch pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 yellow (or orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 red onion (cut into 1-inch pieces)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1/3 cup good olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces dry orzo pasta
For the Dressing:
- 1/3 cup good olive oil
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Finishing Touches:
- green onions
- 15 fresh basil leaves (chiffonade)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, or until browned, turning once with a spatula.
- Meanwhile, cook orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes (according to package directions), until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.
- Add roasted vegetables to the orzo, scraping all the liquid and seasoning from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.
- For the dressing, combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and pour on orzo/vegetable mixture. Cool to room temperature.
- Add the scallions and basil, if using. Check the seasonings and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary (not necessary for my taste). Serve at room temperature.
I have made this before and absolutely love it! I have never posted about it though. I totally agree that it would be delicious w/out the feta as well.
You have inspired me to make it again!
hi meghan, you have a lovely blog. This dish looks delish! Love all the colors. So appetizing.
I wish I had that for dinner right now!
Ina is definitely my hero – everything recipe I've ever tried of hers comes out perfect every time. I'm reducing my meat intake, but not my dairy (love my cheese!) so this would be a great lunch.
This does look fantastic – don't know if I could leave the feta out though… 🙂 So perfect for a potluck too!
Oh my! This looks amazing! So light and fresh, yet comforting
une très belle assiette avec de belles couleurs, j'aime beaucoup
bonne soirée
I've got a bag of orzo just waiting in the pantry!
OMG, at first I was like, wow, I have made that before and then I saw you had linky love to me 🙂 You make me want to make this again. It has been too long. Luckily, I was at a friend's house this past weekend and she made it. It was a surprise, she didn't tell me.