| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups dried orzo
- 1 cup Greek yogurt ranch dressing, such as Hidden Valley
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta
- 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
- 2 firm tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 English cucumber, seeded and diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- Crispy Chickpeas, recipe follows
- 1 tablespoon sliced fresh mint (chiffonade)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried thoroughly
- 1 teaspoon za’atar
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Cook the orzo according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Transfer to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the ranch dressing and lemon zest and juice. Toss the mixture with the orzo and season with salt and pepper. In layers or strips, add the feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion. Garnish with the Crispy Chickpeas and fresh mint.
- Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chickpeas and fry, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chickpeas to a bowl, season with the za’atar and toss to coat. Let drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 472 |
| Total Fat | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 44 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 16 mg |
| Sodium | 640 mg |
Reviews
Delicious! I added sliced pepperoncini and used dill instead of mint. Perfect accompaniment to grilled chicken.
Overall great concept. Loved the fresh veggies and Kalamata olives, feta and crispy chickpeas. I will make it again, however will bump up the flavor of the orzo with more lemon, red wine vinegar and fresh dill or Greek oregano.
WOW! So fresh. Family LOVED it. Gave some to my sister and she didn’t share with her family but ate it all herself.
Love it
Loved this!! Would have given 5 stars but went through 2 cans of chick peas and they never got crisp.
This is delicious! You can also double to feed a bigger crowd and instead of placing the items side by side, you can simply layer! Is wonderful either way! Keeper!
Delish, good flavors!!
This is one of my favorite side dishes. While have made it with the chickpeas, I usually leave them out for ease of prep. Add some grilled chicken and you can have a complete meal for workweek lunches.
I made this last night & it will definitely be in my recipe rotation. It has a great flavor & I loved all the veggies on top.
healthy and filling with the chick peas, and the zaatar is a flavorful middle eastern spin. though not zaatar has to be good quality with no fillings like wheat and a flavorful and fresh thyme/oregano/zaatar herb. there are increasingly good choices online, make sure you search for quality zaatar, or pure zaatar, or zaatar with no fillings.