As soon as the weather warms up, I get really into salads. I like the fact that they’re cold (or at least warm or room temp) and they provide a lot of texture and flavor. And while vegetables are a little less expensive in the summertime, you can stretch them out even more by mixing them with grains and pasta. For this Carrot & Orzo Salad I roasted some inexpensive carrots in olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper, and then mixed them up with some orzo. Using inexpensive carrots and orzo for the bulk of the volume allows you to add just a little expensive feta for flavor without tipping the cost scales.
I added some parsley and a splash of lemon juice for freshness, and that’s it. I like that this Carrot& Orzo Salad is subtle and not over powering. Sometimes you need something light like that to go along side a stronger, more flavorful main dish (in this case the Maple Dijon Chicken). If you’re the type that does like all of your food just bursting with lots and lots and lots of flavor, you can add some garlic powder in with the cumin when you roast the carrots. That aught to give it a little more kick. Me? I like the subtle sweetness of the carrots with the earthy cumin and fresh parsley. Thought it was perfect!
See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
Carrot & Orzo Salad
Carrot & Orzo Salad
Servings 4 to 6 servingsIngredients
- 1 lb carrots ($1.09)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided ($0.36)
- 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin ($0.07)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- freshly ground pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1 cup uncooked orzo ($1.19)
- 1/3 bunch fresh parsley ($0.23)
- 2 oz feta cheese, crumbled ($1.07)
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.03)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash and peel the carrots and then slice them into thin medallions, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
- Place the sliced carrots in a bowl and toss them together with one tablespoon of olive oil, the cumin, salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Once coated in the oil and seasonings, spread the carrots out on a baking sheet covered in foil. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- While the carrots are roasting, boil the orzo for 7-10 minutes, or until tender. Drain the orzo and allow it to cool slightly. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to toss with the orzo so it doesn’t stick as it cools.
- Once the carrots have roasted, transfer them to a large bowl. Pull the parsley leaves from their stems and give them a rough chop. Add the parsley and crumbled feta to the bowl. Add the slightly cooled pasta and toss until the ingredients are combined. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and a bit more salt, if desired. Toss once more and then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
Step by Step Photos
I used just one pound of carrots. Wash and peel them first. Also preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the carrots into thin medallions, about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Add them to a bowl with one tablespoon of the olive oil, the cumin, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper. Toss until the carrots are well coated in oil and seasoning.Spread the carrots out on a baking sheet covered with oil. Roast in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until they’re slightly soft and they begin to curl a little.
See how they’re just a little curled? Looks good. Not too dry, yet still tender.While the carrots are roasting, boil the pasta until tender. You want to give it a chance to cool, so that it doesn’t cook the parsley or melt the feta later. I added the second tablespoon of olive oil to the pasta after it was drained, so that it would not stick or clump as it cooled.
When the carrots are done roasting, add them to a bowl. Roughly chop the parsley and then add it and the feta to the bowl as well.
Add the pasta, the lemon juice, an extra sprinkle of salt, and then toss until the ingredients are all combined. The end! Yum.
This light and fresh salad makes a great side to main dishes that are more strongly flavored.
Hi Beth, i just wanted to say i took this salad to work yesterday and we had it with BLT sandwiches. It was huge hit! i added a couple of splashes of balsamic vinegar dressing. worked really well. Love your recipes! Thanks!
Hi Beth,
I absolutely love your site, so many great ideas and your food looks amazing!
I’m not a huge fan of feta, is there anything I could sub for this?
Thanks
Hmm, maybe goat cheese? The salty-tangy flavor of the feta is perfect here, so it’s hard to think of anything that will be quite as good. Parmesan might be okay, but definitely not the same as feta.
This is very delicious! Very light tasting, and yummy. Easy to assemble, too, would definitely make again.
I looked this one up because of the pasta I still have from making your Parmesan Portabello Orzo (which was great). This looks like something I want to try and play around with, but I have one question: Are cold leftovers of this any good?
I didn’t rate this only because I haven’t tried it yet.
I enjoyed it cold as well as hot. :)
I don’t like carrots. At all. But I really really like this. I’ve actually eaten carrots three times in the past week, thanks to you. And I didn’t even have to add the rice or feta – just the cumin-spiced roasted carrots alone make a super easy side dish! And my five-year-old loves them too, which is always a plus.
Awesome!!
This was a big hit with my family. A nice pantry meal since I usually have all the ingredients on hand. Next time I think I’ll try bulgar wheat or farro.
When I first saw this I thought it would be very bland but I trust the food you make because it has always turned out for me. I am glad I did, I make this for lunch all the time. It has SO much flavor! One of my favorites.
Wowww this was good! I made it with the maple-dijon chicken, and it was so helpful that they both could roast at the same temperature. I put the carrots and chicken in at the same time, which meant I ended up eating the salad half an hour before the chicken was done. Next time I’ll wait 20-30 mins to put the carrots in, and they’ll come out perfectly at the same time!
I halved this recipe just now (making it for the 2nd time). Turned out lovely. I never have parsley so that was the only omission…did use whole wheat orzo – delicious!
Yep, this is great, especially paired with the maple-Dijon chicken! I followed other commenter’s changes and added mushrooms and used spinach instead of parsley because it’s what I had on hand, and I also added the garlic powder as you suggested, Beth. I will sooo be making this again!
Big hit
I made this for a July Fourth party: very successful. I have some left over; do you think it’s okay to freeze it?
Hmm, I haven’t tried freezing it. It might do okay, but since it’s so low moisture to begin with, it may dry out a little. If you try, please let us know how it turns out!
Just made it and can’t stop eating it! The roasted carrots are tasty by themselves, but the orzo and feta are great!
The carrots are soooo good in this! I didn’t use parsley cuz I’m lazy. Made the rest as stated. First time using feta. With lemon, they’re a match made in heaven!
One of my favorites thus far. I have made three batches in one week..only feeding two people, haha. Delicious and easy. Nice summer salad.