Big-Batch Lemony Orzo Salad with Chickpeas and Feta

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A bowl of orzo tossed with chickpeas, crunchy cucumber, sweet tomatoes, briny olives and a mountain of fresh herbs, all soaked in a lemony olive oil dressing. It's built to sit on a table for hours — no reheating, no melting cheese, no sad soggy lettuce — and it only gets more flavourful as it waits. Makes a big bowl for ten, stirs back together in seconds after the drive, and doubles as a side for anything grilled.

Ingredients

• 1 lb dried orzo
• 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 8 oz feta, crumbled
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

• 3 lemons (zest of 1, juice of all)
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Add the orzo and cook 8 to 9 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't clump, until just tender with a little bite.
2. While the orzo boils, put the diced red onion in the bottom of your largest mixing bowl and pour over the juice of the 3 lemons plus the lemon zest. Let it sit — 10 minutes in the lemon juice takes the raw bite out of the onion.
3. Drain the orzo into a colander and rinse under cold running water for about 1 minute, tossing with your hands, until completely cool. Shake out as much water as you can and let it drain 5 minutes.
4. Whisk the olive oil, dried oregano, salt and pepper into the lemon and onion in the big bowl until it looks creamy and combined.
5. Add the cooled orzo and the chickpeas to the bowl and stir well so every grain gets coated in dressing. Let it stand 10 minutes — the orzo drinks up the lemon as it sits.
6. Fold in the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, parsley, dill and two-thirds of the feta. Taste and add more salt, pepper or a squeeze of lemon; cold pasta salad always needs more seasoning than you expect.
7. Scatter the remaining feta over the top. Serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours — pull it out 30 minutes before serving and stir once to loosen.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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