Lemon Basil Orzo with Arugula, Peas, and Cucumber

This Lemon Basil Orzo with Arugula, Peas, and Cucumber is the most delicious pasta salad! Toss cooked gluten-free orzo with fresh baby arugula, peas, cucumber, sunflower seed parmesan cheese in an easy homemade Lemon Basil Tahini Dressing and serve this vegan dish warm or chilled!

Wowwww 🤩 This Lemon Basil Orzo with Arugula, Peas, and Cucumber exceeded my expectations by far! I’m so excited to share this orzo recipes with you today!

The Orzo

So first things first, let’s talk about the orzo. It wasn’t until the last few years that I discovered gluten-free orzo, a couple of brands have finally made it available! In this orzo recipe I used Andean Dream Quinoa and Rice Organic Orzo. If you can’t find either in stores, check on Amazon.

You’ll want to cook the orzo according to package directions, drain, rinse and then place it into a large bowl and set aside. The rest of the ingredients in this Lemon Basil Orzo with Arugula, Peas, and Cucumber include frozen peas, lemon juice and zest, mini cucumbers, baby arugula, and fresh basil.

The Lemon Basil Tahini Dressing

While the orzo is boiling, make the delicious Lemon Basil Tahini Dressing! I originally wasn’t going to add basil in this dressing, but I’m so glad I did! It’s so so good 🍃. I use tahini a lot in my recipes- it just adds such a delicious flavor! In this recipe I used Soom Tahini, it’s so smooth and creamy- definitely one of my favorite tahini brands. The tahini makes this Lemon Basil Orzo with Arugula, Peas, and Cucumber so creamy! I love it!

All you have to do is blend together tahini, lemon juice, fresh basil, garlic, dijon mustard, avocado oil, salt, pepper, and plant milk. Yum 🍋🌱

While I highly suggest this Lemon Basil Tahini Dressing, you could also try this orzo recipe with my Lemon Basil Vinaigrette Dressing! I’ve made it both ways and both are delicious, though I have to say I prefer the tahini dressing.

The Sunflower Seed Parmesan Cheese

Over the years I have come to prefer making my own vegan parmesan cheese at home with just a few ingredients. I ALWAYS have this stocked in my fridge. We use it on avocado toast, pasta, soup, sprinkled on pizza… you name it… I mean, it’s the best! My son said it’s his favorite “cheese”!

In this Lemon Basil Orzo with Arugula, Peas, and Cucumber recipe I’m using raw sunflower seeds to keep this recipe nut-free, but you can also use cashews. Simply add the sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt in a food processor or blender and blend until you achieve a finely ground texture. Read more about my Homemade Vegan Parmesan Cheese in a separate blog post.

How To Enjoy This Orzo Dish

When I set out to make this recipe, I had fully intended this Lemon Basil Orzo with Arugula, Peas, and Cucumber to be a salad recipe- which it can be served chilled as a pasta salad, however, after trying it both ways, I much preferred it served immediately, warm.

That is one of the best things about this orzo recipe is that it can be served warm or chilled, but also that the only cooking required is the orzo, and microwaving the frozen peas. Easy PEASy 😉 Then just toss everything together in a bowl with the Lemon Basil Tahini Dressing, serve and enjoy!

You can enjoy this orzo recipe as a main dish, with your choice of protein on top, or you can even just make it as a side salad. Though this recipe is much better enjoyed right away, you could make it a couple hours ahead of time. I actually made it a couple hours ahead of time so I had enough light to take photos and then served it for dinner. I’ll admit, I enjoyed it much more right after I made it, but it was great for dinner too, and the whole family love it.

I hope you love this healthy, green Lemon Basil Orzo with Arugula, Peas, and Cucumber for a quick and easy vegan recipe! Let me know what you think down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a five star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover this gluten-free orzo recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!