Orzo Harvest Salad

This Orzo Harvest Salad takes one of our favorite grains and pairs it with fall flavors like roasted squash, brussels sprouts, and pecans. Tossed with a maple mustard dressing, this salad has sweetness, crunch, richness, and a bit of zip. Perfect for an autumn dinner or lunch (and it's 100% vegan!).

Jump to:

• 🥗 Why We Love This Recipe
• 🥕 Ingredients
• 📋 Ingredient Notes
• 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
• 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
• 🍽 Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

🥗 Why We Love This Recipe

• Great use of fall produce: this orzo harvest salad utilizes fall vegetables like sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and butternut squash. You can also customize with other fall produce, like dried cranberries, broccoli, pumpkin, leafy greens, beets or carrots.
• Vegan (and can be gluten free): this harvest salad is naturally vegan with all plant-based ingredients, and it can also be made gluten free by swapping orzo with a gluten free variety, or a naturally gluten free grain like wild rice.
• Easy to make: simply roast the vegetables, cook the orzo, whisk together the dressing and toss it all together!
• Great for meal prep: this orzo salad stores well in the refrigerator as leftovers, so it's the perfect nutritious lunch to take to school/work.

🥕 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this fall harvest salad:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Orzo: we love the texture of orzo in this salad. If you're gluten free, there are actually a few options available – we love this gluten free cassava orzo from Jovial Foods! Alternatively, you can use another naturally gluten free grain or pasta like wild rice or quinoa. This harvest salad would also be great with farro.
• Squash: You can use acorn squash or even pumpkin instead of butternut squash. Any winter squash variety will do! Same goes for sweet potato. Feel free to sub with more squash if you don't have any on hand.
• Mustard: we love the pop of flavor and texture from whole grain mustard, but if you're not a fan, use dijon mustard instead.
• ACV: apple cider vinegar is our vinegar of choice for the salad dressing. If you don't have any, you can sub with white wine, red wine or balsamic vinegar.
• Oil: We used olive oil in the dressing, but you could also use pumpkin seed or walnut oil if you're looking to add a bit of extra flavor.
• Pecans: these are an optional topping for this harvest salad, but encouraged. They add a nice crunch and nutty, rich flavor, especially when toasted. You can also swap with another nut or seed of choice, like walnuts or pumpkin seeds.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 375˚F / 190˚C. Cube sweet potatoes and squash, dice onion and halve brussels sprouts. Add prepped vegetables to a bowl and mix together.

(1) In a smaller bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder, cinnamon, and cayenne. Pour this mixture over the vegetables and toss well to coat.

(2) Pour vegetables onto a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until fork tender and slightly browned.

(3) While the vegetables are roasting, cook the orzo in salted water according to package directions.

(4) In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.

(5) Add chopped nuts to a small pan over medium heat and toast for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.

(6) When the orzo is done cooking, drain and add to a bowl, then add parsley and stir together.

(7) Add in vegetables, dressing and toasted nuts and toss to combine until well coated.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Enjoy warm or cold: this orzo salad tastes great as a warm or cold salad. If you're making it and serving right away, it will be warm (since you're using roasted vegetables and freshly cooked orzo), so if you would prefer it chilled, transfer to the fridge for an hour or so before serving. I love enjoying this harvest salad straight out of the fridge the next day for lunch!
• Customize with your favorite fall vegetables: we use sweet potatoes, butternut squash and brussels sprouts in this orzo salad, but you can switch it up with your favorites or whatever you have in the fridge. Try it with: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, radishes, pumpkin, beets, parsnips, turnips, etc.
• Serve over a bed of greens: we like arugula or baby kale. Alternatively, you can sauté your favorite leafy green (kale, spinach, swiss chard) and stir it in to this orzo salad before serving.
• Add a protein: to make this harvest salad a fuller meal, top it off with a protein of choice. If you're vegan, try white beans, garbanzo beans or baked tofu. If you're not vegan, this would be great with grilled chicken.
• For a pop of sweetness: stir in a handful of dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, or chopped dates.
• No fresh parsley? No worries. We love the fresh flavor it adds, but this orzo salad is still delicious without it.
• Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

🍽 Related Recipes

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