Mediterranean Chickpea And Orzo Salad

I celebrated my 32nd birthday a few weeks ago. My sister and her boyfriend got me two BEAUTIFUL new cookbooks from America’s Test Kitchen- they certainly know the way to this food blogger’s heart! One of them, The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook, has made me super motivated to eat more Mediterranean food. This recipe is inspired by a few of the orzo recipes in the book. The Mediterranean diet has, for years, been touted by nutritionists as the most healthy diet out there. It’s high in whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and healthy oils. This recipe has all of the above. It’s super filling and satisfying but also light tasting and doesn’t weigh you down.

With Easter coming up, I wanted to give you a recipe for something delicious that you could make as a side. This is a perfect meal to make in advance, since ideally it needs to be served cold or at room temperature, and the flavors marry together and improve the longer it sits. I think this dish would be wonderful alongside grilled shrimp or chicken (the Mediterranean diet also is big on seafood and lean meats), or even lamb skewers (oh gosh – lamb – my favorite!). But there is plenty in this salad to make it hearty enough for a light meal at lunch or dinner. It would be the perfect thing to serve on a busy weeknight if you make it in advance on the weekend.

It may not look like it, but this salad has two packed cups of leafy greens. I used a combination of baby arugula and spinach… mostly because they didn’t have arugula alone at the store today. The greens are added to the hot pasta before it cools, which wilts them. This is one of my favorite way to eat greens- they are only slightly cooked, which retains a lot of their nutrients, but they don’t have as much of that harsh, bitter taste that raw greens often have. It makes it easy to eat a lot of them in one sitting! One quick tip for this, and all, pasta salads: allow the pasta to cool before tossing it with the dressing. It doesn’t have to be COLD, but it shouldn’t be steaming hot. I let my orzo cool for about ten minutes before mixing the whole thing together. Otherwise, the dressing can be absorbed by the pasta and the dish can dry out. In the case of this recipe, it shouldn’t be hot enough to melt the feta cheese.

And if you’re looking for an awesome new cookbook to add to your collection, I definitely recommend The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook from America’s Test Kitchen! If you like this, you’ll love this easy spanakopita pasta recipe.

Other easy chickpea recipes

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad Spicy Crispy Roasted Chickpeas Classic Hummus Chickpea and Feta Salad Wrap Moroccan Butternut Squash, Chickpea, and Spinach Stew