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 dinner and pretend it’s the middle of July. Really though this Greek Orzo Salad is perfect to make year round (as long as you can find good fresh produce at the grocery store, I know sometimes those tomatoes can be looking pretty drab) and it goes perfectly with grilled chicken. It’s a healthy and filling veggie packed side dish, and of course if you want to make it even healthier you could go with a whole wheat or high fiber orzo. 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!). It does goes pretty quick and the end result is so worth it! 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. I hope you love it too!
Greek Orzo Salad
Yield: About 6 servings
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
karen Crossan: A little bit of sunshine on a plate, love all these flavours, this looks so fresh and tasty. Thank you for sharing. Roll on summer. March 5, 2016 at 4:33am
Rach’s Recipes: This dish is one of my Mediterranean favorites – always a hit whenever I bring it over to barbecues. You’re right – love how it goes with grilled chicken. Have you tried making this dish with red wine vinegar and dried cranberries? Comes out pretty good too! March 7, 2016 at 11:47pm
Beverley: Clean eating with great flavours and colours xoxo March 8, 2016 at 2:27am
SaraLily: Mmm oh man does this look tasty! I can picture it perfectly on the table at my next BBQ but yeah, we need to encourage spring and summer so I think I need to make it sooner. Like pronto! ;) March 8, 2016 at 7:22am
Elisha: Can you recommend another type of cheese for this, I cannot have Feta. Would mozzarella work? March 16, 2016 at 3:57am
Jaclyn: I’d probably use parmesan instead and maybe not quite as much. I hope you try it and love it! March 16, 2016 at 8:01pm
Marcia: I was wondering same thing- I just don’t like feta. I will try with mozzarella – maybe the fresh tiny ball type . September 19, 2016 at 4:56pm
JennyP: Just made this for lunch and it is amazing! I couldn’t wait for it to chill – ate it right out of the mixing bowl :) Amazing, light recipe that is perfect for spring/summer. I added a can of garbanzo beans as well for a bit more texture/filling. Thanks for another great recipe! March 25, 2016 at 11:33am
Malorie S.: This looks so good!! Do you think I could add shrimp to this? April 26, 2016 at 3:40pm
Jaclyn: Yes definitely! April 27, 2016 at 12:19am
Felicia O: Looks wonderful! can it be made a day ahead? was thinking of mixing it all minus the dressing and then tossing it at the BBQ. But I know mixing while it is warm is key. will the lemon soften the salad over nite? August 26, 2016 at 9:14am
Melanie Little: I make this year round for my family, it’s a one dish meal. I do add avocado to the salad. August 31, 2016 at 7:51pm
Jessica: How much is 1 serving equal to, 1 cup, 2 cups, etc? March 12, 2017 at 10:45pm
Jaclyn: Sorry I didn’t measure. I mostly just base it off how many servings my family gets out of it. March 14, 2017 at 12:03am
Heather nemec: Is there a reason it says to eat I a few hours after making it? Would it be bad if I prepare it now and serve it in 3 days? April 28, 2017 at 8:34pm
Rhonda: I love this salad! On day 3, the leftovers taste just as good as on day 1. :) June 19, 2017 at 11:27am
Jaclyn: So glad to hear it Rhonda! June 22, 2017 at 10:40am
Kristin: How many people does this serve? July 2, 2017 at 5:50pm
Laura S.: The recipe says it yields about 6 servings August 3, 2017 at 8:58am