Herbed Pea and Orzo Salad

Remember that time we made an amazing herb condiment packed with basil, cilantro, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil and then folded it into pasta? OH WAIT. That happened today ????. And holy delicious, it was a big bowl of wow-it’s-hot-outside-so-let’s-make-easy-food-with-bright-flavors-and-be-happy-forever. You pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down? Good.

So…those herbs. That “condiment” (which is what I’m calling it because I think it sounds better). It is similar to a gremolata, but the addition of parsley, cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, and a teeeeeny pinch of pepper flakes bring it to a whole new level that surpasses any of its gremolata brothers and sisters (sorry ladies and gents).

If you are feeling particularly herby today, just stop reading this post right here and pocket this recipe all on its own. Use it over chicken, flank steak, seafood, or a million other things. Pancakes? Just kidding…but now I’m curious.

Don’t actually stop reading right now….because, first of all, I like you. So let’s keep hanging out! Second of all, though this herby condiment of yumminess is very delicious on its own, it’s even better when you stir it into orzo and throw some peas into the party. 

Look at all that bright green! That makes me happy. It feels like spring and summer.

Hey! Speaking of summer…actually, I guess this doesn’t really have anything to do with summer, but I figured it would be a logical segue. It is happening in the summer, so that’s close enough. Remember last week (here), when I rambled about the awesomeness of shrimp and grits and told you all about how Seth and I are continuing our house search – renting this time, not buying?

Well, we went and looked at three places, and we really loved the first one we saw. So we put a deposit down that day, and we signed the lease this morning! Woooooooooop.

Goodbye 900 square foot house that was built in the 1920s! You were cute and cozy, but I am looking forward to a much larger space (twice the size, to be exact!) that has appliances that don’t break every 34 seconds. It will be slightly nostalgic to move out of this house, though. We’ve been through a lot here! Specifically Seth’s deployment. But I am very excited to move into something bigger and nicer. We move on August 1st! Potential cray-cray-ness: I will be visiting North Carolina from tomorrow through Monday, and then Seth and I are going on a vacation to Mexico for a week in late July. Sooooo that basically gives us one and a half weeks to pack up this entire house. Whew…good thing it’s small, right? Anyone want to come help? Anybody!? I’ll feed you orzo salad!

P.S. The kitchen is amazing.

Have a great rest of your week friends!

Herbed Pea and Orzo Salad

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Annie Chesson
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 5 servings 1x

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 pound box orzo pasta
• 1 cup finely chopped herbs (I used even-ish amounts of basil, cilantro, and parsley)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• 1.5 cups frozen peas, thawed (you can use the microwave for this if you are short on time)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Bring a SALTED (it should taste like the ocean) pot of water to a boil
2. Add your orzo and cook until al dente (follow package instructions, but it will probably be 9-10 minutes)
3. Meanwhile, make your herb condiment: in a bowl, combine the chopped herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and pepper flakes. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper
4. When the orzo is done cooking, strain in a colander and run cool water over the pasta until the noodles are cold
5. To assemble, add the orzo into a large bowl and top with the herb condiment, the peas, the garlic powder, and the onion powder. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Depending on how you salted your water, your final dish might need a decent amount of salt. Don’t be afraid of the salt, just keep adding and stirring and tasting until you get the seasoning right!

*This recipe is vegan*

Nutrition information is for 1 1/2 cup servings of the orzo salad.

If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

In the mood for more yummy pasta salad recipes? Check these out:

Grilled Spring Veggie Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad with Creamy Avocado Sauce

Cold Soba Noodle Salad