Shrimp Orzo Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

This Shrimp Orzo Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing makes the perfect light and flavourful weekday lunch that is easy to prepare! Great for meal prepping ahead of time and saving time on busy days.

As a dietitian, I get so many questions about what to eat for lunch. It’s a tricky meal because most people want something filling and satisfying but quick and easy to prepare. With this as the criteria, I set out to create a salad that provides a variety of nutrients and lasts for multiple days in the fridge. That way, you only have to make it once but you have lunch planned for days on end! Be prepared to get excited for lunch with this Shrimp Orzo Salad!

Ingredients for Shrimp Orzo Salad

There are different ingredient components to this salad but it doesn’t take much time to throw it all together! Here is what you will need for this salad:

• Orzo
  • Make it gluten-free with gluten-free orzo. You could also use rice instead if you can’t find an orzo alternative.
• Shrimp (with paprika and garlic powder)
  • I like to use small- to medium-sized shrimp so that they are bite-sized pieces. Alternatively, you could use larger shrimp and cut them into smaller pieces before adding them to the salad.
• Grape tomatoes
  • Grape tomatoes have thicker skins and are less watery than cherry tomatoes, making them a great addition to this salad.
• Corn
  • I recommend using canned corn kernels and draining and rinsing them to remove the majority of the sodium.
• Red onion
• Feta cheese
  • To make this dairy-free, use a plant-based feta alternative or omit the cheese altogether.
• Cilantro
  • If you are not a fan of cilantro, you can use fresh basil instead.
• Honey Lemon Salad Dressing
  • See below for the ingredients and instructions for this salad dressing.

How to Cook Orzo

Orzo is a type of pasta that is short and flat, resembling rice. It is typically made from semolina, whole wheat or white flour. There are is also gluten-free orzo available that is made from corn, rice or cassava flour.

One of the benefits of orzo is the quick cook time! Here’s how to perfectly cook it:

1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Make sure to use double the amount of water to the amount of orzo. For example, if you want to cook 1 cup of orzo, boil 2 cups of water.
2. Once the water is boiling, add the orzo and keep the lid off. *TIP: place a wooden spoon across the top of the pot to prevent the water from boiling over.
3. Cook the orzo for 8-10 minutes (or otherwise noted on the package), or until the orzo is soft and slightly chewy. All (or most) of the water should be absorbed but you can drain any remaining water, if needed.
4. Allow the orzo to cool slightly, for about 5-10 minutes, before adding it to the remaining ingredients of this salad.

How to Make the Honey Lemon Dressing

The Honey Lemon Dressing is light and fresh but doesn’t take away from the flavours of the salad. Here’s what you need to make it:

• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
  • Using the juice of a fresh lemon will provide more authentic flavour but if this isn’t accessible to you, you can use packaged lemon juice as well.
• Honey
• Fresh garlic
• Coriander
  • Did you know that coriander is another word for cilantro? I wanted to find a common thread between the salad dressing and the salad ingredients and this was the way to do that. As mentioned before, if you are not a fan of cilantro, you can use dried basil instead!
• Salt and pepper

To make this dressing, all you have to do is add all of these ingredients to a mason jar or glass measuring cup and mix well. Once you have done that, pour it over the salad and you’re ready to go!

I hope you love this Shrimp Orzo Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing as a weekday lunch or backyard dinner.

Don’t forget to check out some of these other salad recipes to make for lunches:

• Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad
• Herbed Bean and Rice Salad
• Quinoa Black Bean Salad
• Dill Falafel Rice Bowls

 

If you make this Shrimp Orzo Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing I would love to see your comment and rating below. It also makes my day seeing your creations of my recipes on Instagram- don’t forget to tag @allnutrition.rd!