Greek Orzo Salad is perfect to make year round and it goes perfectly with grilled chicken. It’s a healthy and filling, veggie packed pasta salad, and of course if you want to make it even healthier you could go with a whole wheat or high fiber orzo, you can also switch up the type of pasta (rotini, macaroni and tortellini are other great options).
You can also toss some chicken or shrimp into it make it a main dish.
Orzo Salad
Anyone else craving summer yet?? It’s always just about this time of year when I’m always ready for the warm beach days and sunny afternoon picnics to be here again. So what’s a woman to do? Make a summery orzo salad and pretend it’s the middle of July.
How to Make Orzo Salad
- First you boil a pasta, I chose orzo here but other great substitutes are spiral, penne, bowtie or macaroni pasta (using the same weight). Even a cheese filled tortellini would be delicious (use double the weight listed).
- Then dice up the veggies (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, herbs and olives).
- Prep a super simple lemon vinaigrette.
- Toss that all together along with some feta and you’ve got a salad everyone will fall in instantly love with!
Which Type of Olives do You Prefer?
In this pasta salad I opted to add half kalamata and half black olives because I’m slowly trying to break my kids into liking the kalamatas, but I actually ended up loving the blend of the two anyway so I might just do it this way every time.
Even though this does call for quite a few ingredients it really is easy to throw together, it’s mostly just a lot of chopping and a bit of crumbling (oh how I love that feta!). The end result is worth the multiple step process!
I wish I had this waiting for me at my dinner table ever night! It’s so fresh and so flavorful and I can never get enough of those Greek flavors.
Other Easy Salad Recipes:
- Greek Salad
- Grilled Chicken Sun Dried Tomato and Avocado Spinach Salad
- Apple Mandarin Orange Pear and Feta Spinach Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Dressing
- Pear Bacon and Brussels Sprout Salad
- Poppy Seed Chicken and Grape Pasta Salad
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Greek Orzo Salad
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This Greek Orzo Salad is perfect to make year round and it goes perfectly with grilled chicken. It's a healthy and filling veggie packed side dish that will leave everyone craving more!
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad
- 1 1/4 cups (8 oz) dry orzo
- 1 cup (5 oz) crumbled feta
- 1 medium English cucumber , diced
- 1 (10.5 oz) pkg. grape tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives or 3/4 cup sliced black olives
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion , rinsed under water to removed harsh bite
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
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In a jar mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste (don't add too much salt because the feta and kalamata olives are pretty salty), set aside.
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Cook orzo according to directions listed on package. Drain and let cool (about 5 minutes. They'll start to stick to each other a bit but that's fine the dressing will break it up).
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Add all of the salad ingredients, including cooked orzo, to a large bowl and toss. Pour dressing over top and toss to evenly coat. Store in refrigerator, serve within a few hours for best results.
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Recipe source: Cooking Classy
Patti: Can this be made overnight to be served the following night? March 5, 2019 at 9:43am
Jaclyn: Yes but I’d wait to add the cucumber and tomato. March 12, 2019 at 10:20pm
shelby talmadge: Ok to make the night before? August 24, 2018 at 3:36pm
Jaclyn: That should be fine. I’d wait to add the cucumber so it doesn’t get flimsy and soggy. August 27, 2018 at 8:29pm
Margaret: This is delicious but what is the calorie count in this salad? August 8, 2018 at 2:07pm
Jaclyn: Just added the nutrition facts to the recipe. :) August 10, 2018 at 1:10pm
Aleyna Findlay: Hello!
I was wondering what each serving size was. I’m looking forward to trying this! February 3, 2019 at 5:40am
Jaclyn: Sorry I didn’t measure in cups. February 3, 2019 at 10:39am
CL: Super light and easy. I added some tuna with mine for some protein for lunches. Keeps well multiple days (I did this recipe for meal prep). July 10, 2018 at 11:33am
Jaclyn: Love the addition of tuna for a protein, sounds tasty! Thanks for the great review! July 12, 2018 at 7:19pm
Kathy Raines: Loved it May 3, 2018 at 9:07am
Jaclyn: I’m glad to hear it! May 4, 2018 at 9:48am
Lina: Light and Lovely taste! April 12, 2018 at 10:35pm
Jaclyn: Thanks for your feedback Lina! April 13, 2018 at 12:01pm