Greek Orzo Salad
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.
Easy Orzo Pasta 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 with feta and pretend it’s the middle of July!
This Greek orzo salad is made with fresh herbs, red onion, tomatoes, and more veggies, and is tossed in a lemony vinaigrette. It’s a great dish to bring to barbecues and potlucks, and it only takes 20 minutes to whip up!
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.
Greek Orzo Salad Ingredients
For this orzo salad recipe, you’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Dry orzo
- Crumbled feta
- English cucumbers
- Grape tomatoes
- Olives
- Red onion
- Fresh basil and parsley
How to Make Orzo Salad
- First you boil the orzo according to package instructions.
- 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!
What Type of Olives Should I Use?
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.
Can I Make This Orzo Pasta Salad in Advance?
Yes, it should be fine to make this Greek orzo salad up to a day in advance. However, I’d wait to add the tomatoes and cucumbers until just before you’re ready to serve this salad since they tend to get soggy after sitting in the dressing.
Can I Use Another Type of Pasta?
Yes, I chose orzo for this recipe, 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).
Tips for the Best Orzo Salad
- Don’t add too much additional salt to this salad, as both the feta and olives are quite salty.
- Once you’ve diced the red onion, run it under cold tap water to remove its harsh bite.
- For the best flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the vinaigrette.
More Easy Salad Recipes You’ll Love:
- 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
- Avocado Caprese Pasta Salad
- Three Bean Salad
Follow Cooking Classy
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
In a jar mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
- 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).
- 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.
Recipe Notes
- Don't add too much additional salt to this salad, as both the feta and olives are quite salty.
- Other pastas you can use in this recipe are spiral, penne, bowtie or macaroni pasta (using the same weight). Even a cheese-filled tortellini would be delicious (use double the weight listed)
- Recipe source: Cooking Classy