Super Easy Orzo And Chickpea Salad Recipes

Whip up a quick meal or side dish in minutes with my Orzo Chickpea Pasta salad recipe.

And check out the chickpea salad recipe variation, too.

They're easy, cold crowd pleasers you'll be making all the time. 



Cooking has never really been my thing.

It's not that I'm bad at it, I'm actually quite a good cook.

I just don't like it.

However, as we must eat, I must cook.

To get through it, I usually rely on old favorites, easy recipes, like my no boil lasagna.

Or my mom's eggplant pizziola.

They're quick recipes that don't require much prep or mess and everyone loves them.

Well, this past spring, when we were all tucked in and food delivery was tough and sporadic, old favorites were a little bit harder to whip up.

In fact, there were a few weeks, when I had to solely rely on what I had in the pantry. I needed to get creative.

Um...like when I had to make bread without yeast.

Surprisingly, most of the recipes I whipped up, were a hit and have become new menu staples. Including that bread. 

My orzo salad is another one of them.

It's literally one of those kitchen sink kind of recipes where I threw in whatever we had and it was wonderful.

My daughter was dreaming of a version she'd had at a restaurant a few weeks earlier and as luck would have it, I had just enough of the right stuff on hand to make up my own. Even the artichoke hearts. 

Amazing.

It's a perfect side dish, but hearty enough to eat on its own. Feel free to add cheese or tomatoes, whatever you have on hand.

Here's what I did.

Quick and Easy Orzo Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Box of Orzo Pasta

1 Can of Black Olives

2-3 Stalks of Celery

1 Can or Jar of Artichoke Hearts (and about 1 tablespoon of the juice)

1 Large Can of Chickpeas

1 Cucumber

Vinaigrette Dressing if desired

Directions:

I started by boiling water to cook the orzo. When water came to a rolling boil, I added the pasta and cooked it according to the box instructions.

When done, I drained it, rinsed it and put it in a large bowl.


While the orzo was cooking I prepared the rest of my ingredients.

I peeled the cucumber and chopped it up and I rinsed the celery and chopped it up, as well.


Then I popped them in with the pasta.


A few years ago, I picked up this clever cutting chopping tool.

I have to say it makes very easy work of this task.

I use it all the time for cutting potatoes and veggies, cheese and meat. It comes in very handy for stews and salads.

So this step went by quickly.

Next up, I opened the chickpeas and the artichoke hearts.


I rinsed them off and added them to the pasta bowl.


I saved a bit of the artichoke heart juice from the can and added just a teeny bit of it to the pasta salad for flavor.

Like a tablespoon or so.


The olives were up next, open, rinse, slice and add.

When everything was in the bowl, I stirred it all up and then added a tiny bit of vinaigrette dressing for taste.


My kids like it as a main dish. Sometimes they add tomatoes. 


My husband likes it as a side.


Either way, it makes a lot, so everyone can have it as they please for lunch and dinner for a few days.

It's such an easy recipe and as I said, you can make it with whatever you have on hand...just like my quiche recipes. 

For example, we've made the same meal without the orzo, when the store ran out. 

Then it just becomes Chickpea Salad.

Same basic ingredients and it's even quicker to whip up, since you don't need to cook the pasta. 


Just open the cans and toss everything together. I think I like this recipe best of all.

And it's perfect if you're not into the pasta part or you're watching your carbs.


Needless to say, artichoke hearts have become a staple on my shopping list.

Which is funny, because I'd never cooked with them before.

The jar we had in the pantry was included in an Italian food gift basket we received some time ago.

I should probably look in that food closet more often.

Who knows what other inspiring treat could be hiding in there.

What's in your pantry?