This vibrant and refreshing salad is packed with fresh, in-season vegetables, perfectly roasted eggplant, and a delicious lemon pepper dressing! Perfect for warm summer days!! This salad is ideal for summer barbecues, family gatherings, or as a casual and refreshing lunch to have all week long!
The Best Roasted Eggplant
I have always been a BIG fan of eggplant, especially this time of year. For some people, the more rubbery texture of eggplant can be off-putting, but cooked the right way, I am certain that you’ll find a new appreciation for this vegetable.
The key to making the best roasted eggplant is to create a great marinade that will soften the eggplant and add depth of flavor while it roasts. You want to cut your eggplant into small, 1-inch cubes, leaving the skin on. The skin is where a lot of the nutrients are found, and I think that it gives this dish a beautiful pop of purple color and adds another layer of texture.
Cutting the eggplant into small cubes will allow it to soak up the marinade better, leading to a silky smooth texture, and tender and juicy flesh. Once marinaded, we want to roast the eggplant at 400 degrees F for about 35-40 minutes or until it is very soft and golden brown.
The Marinade
This marinade for the roasted eggplant adds just the right combination of sweet and smokey and will infuse the eggplant with lots of flavor.
All you need is olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, smoked sweet paprika, cumin, chopped garlic cloves, Kosher salt, and pepper.
Mix the marinade with the eggplant and roast the eggplant.
Vibrant Vegetables
One of my favorite things about this recipe is the addition of so many different colored vegetables. I love seeing the bright reds, vibrant purples, cool greens, and cheery yellows meld together in this beautiful salad. If you’ve ever heard the expression “Eat a Rainbow,” this salad is just about the closest thing to eating the rainbow as you can get!
And with more colors comes more nutrients!
This salad contains arugula, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, canned sweet corn, Kalamata olives, and fresh basil. I love to take advantage of in-season summer vegetables, and these are some of my favorites!
Orzo
Although it looks more like rice, orzo is actually a type of pasta made out of durum wheat. Just like pasta, orzo is easy to cook. All you have to do is bring a salted pot of water to boil and cook for 8-10 minutes, depending on the brand you use.
Orzo can be used in hot dishes like stews and soups, or in cold dishes like pasta salads. For this recipe, I cooled the orzo before adding it to the salad bowl since I wanted this to be a cool and refreshing summer salad.
I used whole wheat orzo to add some more protein and fiber to this dish, and it is just delicious in this salad. The orzo gets infused with lemon pepper dressing, giving it a tangy and irresistible flavor!
Healthy, Feel-Good Lunch
When I plan my recipes, I like to choose a few seasonal fruits and veggies to showcase! In-season produce tends to be fresher and tastes better. When fruits and vegetables are allowed to ripen on the tree or vine, they will retain many more nutrients and will taste better!
Some in-season vegetables I used in this recipe are eggplant, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, corn, Kalamata olives, and fresh basil.
This healthy, feel good pasta salad is made with whole wheat orzo. Fiber is important for healthy digestion, lowers LDL cholesterol, and can control blood sugar. This is why it is important to make sure 1/2 of the grains we eat are whole grains. Whole grains will provide more fiber and protein which will help you to feel fuller for longer!
And let’s not forget the wide variety of vitamins and minerals we get from the diversity of vegetables used in this recipe! To simplify nutrition a bit, the more color that’s on your plate, the more variety of vitamins and minerals you will get. This is because the same phytochemicals that give plants their colored pigments also provide us with different vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Lemon Pepper Dressing
Some may say that the real star of the show in a pasta salad is the dressing. This lemon pepper dressing with a hint of garlic is light, refreshing, and tangy.
This is my go-to dressing whenever I make a simple salad, side dish, or pasta salad. It pairs well with just about anything and will leave your mouth watering.
All you need is 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Whisk it all together, and you’ve got yourself a dressing!
Assembling
Once the orzo and eggplant have cooled off a bit, add them to the bowl with the vegetables. Pour in the dressing, and give it all a big toss!
I like to top my orzo salad off with an extra sprinkle of goat cheese and fresh basil!
This is a pasta salad that I am certain everyone will love! If you’re looking for a refreshing dish to bring to a potluck or summer barbecue, this recipe is just what you need!
It’s a favorite in my family, and I hope it will be in yours.
If you liked this recipe, share the love! Leave a comment and rating here and feel free to post your creations on Instagram and tag me 🙂
Lemony Eggplant Orzo Salad
Ingredients
Roasted Eggplant
- 1/2 large eggplant
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Orzo Salad
- 1 cup dry whole wheat orzo
- 1 1/2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sweet canned corn drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
- 1 tbsp diced fresh basil
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
Lemon Pepper Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Leaving the skin on, cut the eggplant into 1 inch cubes and add them to a large bowl. To the bowl, add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, paprika, cumin, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Toss the eggplant with the marinade. Spread the eggplant cubes onto a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Roast at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until the eggplant is very soft and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- For the orzo salad, start by boiling about 5 quarts of water in a pot on high heat. Add in a few large pinches of salt. Once boiling, add 1 cup of dry whole wheat orzo and place the lid on top. Once it returns to a boil, remove the lid and allow the orzo to boil for 9 minutes. Drain the orzo thoroughly. Set aside.
- To a large salad bowl, add the washed arugula, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, corn, Kalamata olives, basil, and crumbled goat cheese.
- To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
- To assemble, add the orzo and eggplant to the salad bowl. Pour in the lemon pepper dressing and using a pair of tongs or salad servers, toss everything together until evenly distributed. Serve cold!
Need more ideas for summer lunch recipes? Here are some simple and healthy recipes you can try!
- Butternut Squash Carrot Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Sausage, Kale, Butternut Squash Pasta
- Lemony Eggplant Orzo Salad
- Lemony Quinoa and Arugula Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
- Vegan Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos
Summer 2021, I am ready for ya!
With love,
Sip & Scone
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