Zucchini, Feta, and Orzo Salad
This caramelized zucchini, feta, and orzo salad with white beans, pisachios, and arugula is all you need this summer. It’s bright, fun, flavorful, and restaurant-quality. It pairs with any grilled meat, and leftovers stay for days.
There few recipes I make that I literally cannot stop eating. This summery zucchini salad with orzo, white beans, feta, and pistachios tastes restaurant quality. I can never put my fork down. I’m sure this salad will be your obsession too.
It’s fresh, flavorful, and actually filling for a salad. It’s perfect as a meal on it’s own!
Each bite of this zucchini feta and orzo salad is packed with flavor and perfect textures. Silky zucchini, peppery arugula, crunchy pistachios, tangy feta, soft white beans, mellow orzo, sour lemon vinaigrette, brightening dill… truly a wonderful mix of elements!
This salad would pair so well with my Poppin’ Lemon Loaf as dessert. If you want a more pasta-forward spring salad, check out my Green Goddess Pasta Salad!
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Ingredients
- Zucchini – Fresh zucchini becomes tender and caramelized, adding a mild, subtly sweet flavor and plenty of texture to the salad. They reduce down quite a bit!
- Orzo – Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta that cooks quickly and gives this salad a hearty, satisfying base.
- White beans – Creamy white beans add plant-based protein, fiber, and a buttery texture that makes the salad more filling without changing the flavor. The most common white beans are cannellini beans, Great Northern beans, navy beans, and butter beans.
- Arugula – Peppery arugula adds freshness and a slightly spicy bite that balances the richness..
- Feta – Crumbled feta brings a creamy, salty, tangy flavor that ties all of the ingredients together. Block feta in brine typically has a creamier texture than pre-crumbled feta.
- Pistachios – Chopped roasted pistachios add crunch, healthy fats, and a subtle sweetness.
- Fresh dill – Fresh dill adds bright, herbaceous flavor that pairs beautifully with lemon, zucchini, and feta.
- Shallot – Finely minced shallot provides a mild onion flavor that blends seamlessly into the dressing without overpowering it.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic gives the dressing a savory depth and aromatic flavor.
- Lemon – You’ll use both the fresh lemon juice and zest for the brightest citrus flavor.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – A good-quality extra-virgin olive oil creates a rich, flavorful dressing and helps emulsify the vinaigrette.
- Dijon mustard – Dijon mustard adds tanginess while helping the dressing emulsify into a smooth, cohesive vinaigrette.
- Kosher salt – Kosher salt has larger, coarser crystals than table salt, making it easier to season food evenly. If substituting table salt, use about half as much since it is more finely ground and saltier by volume.
- Black pepper – Freshly ground black pepper adds gentle heat and enhances all of the other flavors in the salad.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for this Zucchini Feta and Orzo Salad
- Slice and sautee the zucchini until caramelized
- Cook the orzo according to package instructions, adding lemon peels to the salted water
- Rinse the canned white beans
- Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, mustard, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and some water
- Assemble the salad by adding the arugula, zucchini, orzo, feta, white beans, pistachios, and dill into a bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad then mix to combine
Hint: Sautéing zucchini yields the best results because they become soft and evenly cooked. You can roast the zucchini at 400F for about 20 minutes, stirring half way.
Substitutions
- Vegan – simply omit the feta or choose a vegan feta, and you have a beautiful and healthy vegan dish!
- Gluten-free – replace the orzo with a gluten-free alternative
- Added protein – this salad would taste wonderful with some diced chicken or tofu mixed in, or served with white fish on the side.
Variations
What I love about salads like this zucchini feta and orzo salad is you can really make them your own. Unlike baking, you do not need to follow recipes rigidly. Here are some ideas of substitutions
- Zucchini: yellow squash would be the best alternative if you aren’t able to find zucchini. Cook according to the same instructions.
- Orzo: Israeli/pearl couscous is a great substitution for orzo! In a pinch, short pasta like orrochiette or even a grain like quinoa would do. However, the texture overall will change slightly this way.
- Feta: goat cheese would be the closest variation to feta in this recipe`
- Herbs: To me, dill goes perfectly with this dish. I imagine basil, mint, or parsley would also be wonderful here but I haven’t tried these replacements. Choose your favorite herb!
- White beans: these beans are soft and mild so I love them in salads! Garbanzo beans will have a tougher texture and stronger taste. Lentils will blend in a bit more. Either would be an optional variation. Or, you can omit beans completely.
- Pistachios: toasted, slivered almonds would go well.
Storing this Zucchini Feta and Orzo Salad
Make Ahead
What you can do ahead of time:
- Sautee the zucchini – this can be done the day before. Cook the zucchini and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Cook the orzo – Orzo will be freshest the day of cooking, but you can definitely make in advance. I recommend adding a splash of oil and lemon juice to soak in the flavor.
- Rinse and drain the white beans – this doesn’t take long to do, but its an extra step you can get out of the way!
- Whisk together the dressing
I recommend breaking apart the feta day-of serving as to ensure it doesn’t go dry. Assemble the salad ingredients together when serving for best quality.
Storage
This dish is best enjoyed the day-of. If you have leftovers, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days, I happily eat them!
Rate this recipe
If you made this salad I would love to hear what you think! Leave a star-rating and a review below.
Zucchini, Feta, and Orzo Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 5 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon Mustard
- 1 Shallot minced
- 3 cloves Garlic grated
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon Sherry vinegar optional
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Water as needed
Salad
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 4 Zucchini sliced thin
- Kosher salt
- 1 cup dried orzo (2 cups cooked orzo)
- 5 oz Arugula
- 1 (15oz can) White beans, drained and rinsed I prefer Great Northern beans, but cannellini or navy beans work great too.
- ½ cup Toasted pistachios
- 6 oz Feta cheese crumbled from brine, about ½ cup
- 2 tablespoon Chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Cook the zucchini. Thinly slice the zucchini using a sharp knife or mandoline. Heat olive oil in the largest skillet you have over medium heat. Add the zucchini in a single layer or slightly overlapping, working in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pan. Sauté until tender and deeply golden in spots, about 8–10 minutes per batch. Lightly season with kosher salt and set aside to cool slightly.2 tbsp Olive oil, 4 Zucchini, Kosher salt
- Cook the orzo. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. While the water is heating, zest and juice the lemon into a small bowl and set aside for the dressing, then discard the lemon halves into the pot of water. Cook the orzo according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the orzo and let it cool slightly.1 cup dried orzo
- Prepare the dressing. To the small bowl with lemon zest and juice, add the minced shallot, grated garlic, Dijon mustard, extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar (if using), kosher salt, and black pepper. Whisk until the dressing is smooth and emulsified. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency (I usually add 2–3 tablespoons). Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.5 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp Mustard, 1 Shallot, 3 cloves Garlic, 1 Lemon, 1 tsp Sherry vinegar, ½ tsp kosher salt, Water
- Assemble the salad. Set aside 1-2 tablespoons of zucchini, feta, and pistachios for garnish. Add the arugula, cooked orzo, sautéed zucchini, cannellini beans, feta, pistachios, fresh dill, and dressing to a large serving bowl. Toss until everything is evenly coated, then add back the reserved ingredients to the top for garnish. Serve immediately, or place in the fridge until ready to serve.5 oz Arugula, 1 (15oz can) White beans, drained and rinsed, ½ cup Toasted pistachios, 6 oz Feta cheese, 2 tbsp Chopped fresh dill
Nutrition
I am loving these spring flavors!