Spring Orzo Pasta Salad (with green goddess dressing)
This Spring orzo pasta salad makes the perfect side dish for spring and summer. Featuring homemade green goddess dressing, asparagus, and peas, this light and flavorful pasta salad is a great addition to any menu, and its fun green color adds a beautiful hue to every table!
If you’re looking for the perfect side dish for your Easter dinner, Mother’s Day brunch, potluck, or cookout, this easy and delicious orzo pasta salad is sure to fit the bill!
And while I find this dish especially fitting for spring, it can easily be served any time throughout the warmer months of the year.
Every year, I find myself wishing I had more spring-inspired, colorful, light, and fresh dishes to make, especially once the season’s first produce and herbs start coming in.
And every year, the season seems to pass before I actually get around to making or creating any of those recipes.
Needless to say, it’s no wonder I’ve been sharing so many spring-related recipes this year, and I’m pretty proud to finally check something as big as developing spring recipes off my 2026 to-do list.
And this easy pasta salad might just be the most spring-inspired recipe I’ve ever developed, featuring some of my favorite spring and summer flavors, like fresh basil and lemon juice.
This spring orzo pasta salad recipe is light, refreshing, and flavorful, plus it includes my quick and easy homemade creamy green goddess dressing.
I’ve broken this recipe into two mini recipes. Of course, you can use store-bought green goddess dressing or your favorite homemade version.
But I wanted to share my recipe alongside the pasta salad, so we’ll start with the dressing and then move on to the salad!
How To Make Creamy Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
- lemons, juiced
- olive oil
- fresh basil, packed
- baby spinach, packed
- garlic, minced
- cashews
- grated Parmesan cheese
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow the cashews to soak for at least 30 minutes before making the dressing. This will soften slightly, making them easy to blend and giving you a creamier finished dressing.
After the cashews have finished soaking, drain and place in a food processor. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Adding a little water if needed to help everything blend more smoothly, or to thin the dressing to your desired consistency.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Transfer to a jar or an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Recipe Notes
Green goddess dressing can be stored in an airtight container or glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also use this dressing to top any of your favorite salads, not just the recipe below!
How To Make Spring Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- cooked orzo
- peas, you can use fresh or frozen peas. Frozen peas should be thawed before adding to the salad.
- marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped.
- fresh asparagus, washed and thinly sliced. I would recommend blanching the asparagus before adding it to the salad, but it can also be added and eaten raw.
- green goddess dressing, homemade or store-bought. More or less, depending on how strong a flavor you want.
- salt and pepper, to taste.
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the cooked orzo, peas, artichokes, and asparagus, and toss to combine.
Add the dressing and stir until everything is completely coated. (I would recommend starting with just a 1/2 cup of dressing, then mix. taste, and decide if you want more or not. I normally like a lot of dressing on my salads and will sometimes add more than 1 cup. So feel free to add as much or as little as you like to better suit your taste!)
Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
Transfer the finished pasta salad to an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge. Orzo pasta salad should be be refrigtoraded for at least 2 hours before serving.
Serve alongside any of your favorite main dishes or bring as a dish to pass for your next picnic, potluck, or cookout.
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Spring orzo pasta salad can be stored in an airtight container or covered tightly with plastic wrap in the frdige for up to 5 days.
Feel free to add any of your favorite spring or summer veggies to this pasta salad. Red onion, green onions, lemon zest, cherry tomatoes, and almost any fresh herbs would all make a delicious addition to this salad!
A quick tip I like to use any time I’m making a pasta salad is to cook my pasta al dente, drain it, and immediately rinse it under cold water until it is completely cooled before setting it aside until ready to use. This keeps the pasta from sticking together and from overcooking and getting mushy.
Looking For More Easy Salad Recipes?
Loaded Southwest Avocado Salad
Fresh Spring Roll Salad with Peanut Dressing
Spring Orzo Pasta Salad with Green Goddess Dressing
Ingredients
for the Green Goddness Dressing
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1/2 cup olive oil I like extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves packed
- 1 cup baby spinach packed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
for Spring Orzo Pasta Salad
- 1 lb cooked orzo pasta
- 1 cup peas you can use fresh or frozen peas. Frozen peas should be thawed before adding to the salad.
- 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts drained and roughly chopped.
- 1 cup thinly sliced fresh asparagus I would recommend blanching the asparagus before adding it to the salad, but it can also be added and eaten raw.
- 1 cup green goddess dressing homemade or store-bought. More or less, depending on how strong a flavor you want.
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
to make the Green Goddess Dressing
- Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Allow the cashews to soak for at least 30 minutes before making the dressing. This will soften slightly, making them easy to blend and giving you a creamier finished dressing.
- After the cashews have finished soaking, drain and place in a food processor. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Adding a little water if needed to help everything blend more smoothly, or to thin the dressing to your desired consistency.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Transfer to a jar or an airtight container and store in the fridge until ready to use.
to make the Spring Orzo Pasta Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked orzo, peas, artichokes, and asparagus, and toss to combine.
- Add the dressing and stir until everything is completely coated. (I would recommend starting with just a 1/2 cup of dressing, then mix. taste, and decide if you want more or not. I normally like a lot of dressing on my salads and will sometimes add more than 1 cup. So feel free to add as much or as little as you like to better suit your taste!)
- Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Transfer the finished pasta salad to an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge. Orzo pasta salad should be be refrigtoraded for at least 2 hours before serving.
- Serve alongside any of your favorite main dishes or bring as a dish to pass for your next picnic, potluck, or cookout.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
