Greek Orzo Salad
Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is a delicious meatless meal that your entire family will love. Made with tomatoes, olives, feta and a simple homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing, this quick and easy Mediterranean recipe also makes a delicious side dish with any main course.
Greek Orzo Salad is one of my favorite dishes. This versatile vegetarian recipe is one of those special recipes that works great as both a refreshing main course, as well as a filling side. It’s ready quickly, in under 30 minutes.
Not a vegetarian? It pairs wonderfully with a huge variety of grilled, baked and pan-seared meats, including chicken, lamb, steak or pork. Greek Orzo pasta salad also goes nicely with your favorite seafoods too, like shrimp, salmon and scallops. Our family frequently eats this as a side dish with chicken breasts.
I love making a full serving of this and snacking on it for lunch throughout the week. It makes a fantastic meatless main course, especially during the warmer months, and I love how fast it comes together on busy weeknights.
This is also a delicious dish to whip up if you’re expecting guests, or want to impress your friends at a potluck, as it just looks really beautiful! Made with fresh tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, feta, kalamata olives and an easy homemade lemon vinaigrette, this chilled dish just might be one of your new favorite recipes too.
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Ingredients Needed for Greek Orzo Salad
To make this simple cold Greek orzo salad, you’ll need a few ingredients. You should be able to find all of these at your local grocery store.
- Dry orzo pasta
- Tomatoes, like cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes or regular tomatoes
- Persian cucumbers (also known as mini cucumbers). If you can’t find these, regular cucumbers taste fine!
- Red onion
- Kalamata olives
- Feta cheese
- Fresh parsley or fresh basil (whatever you prefer)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Lemon or lemon juice
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
Optional, but you might also want:
- Chicken broth or vegetable broth to cook the orzo in for more flavor
- Chickpeas, if you want to add more protein to this Greek orzo salad recipe
How to Make Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
Cook the orzo pasta according to package instructions until al dente. I recommend cooking it with chicken broth or vegetable broth for more flavor, but it will also cook fine in regular water. Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water and drain well.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked orzo with tomatoes (cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes or regular tomatoes all work great), diced cucumbers, red onion, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta cheese. Add the chopped parsley or basil to the bowl and mix well.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to create the simple dressing.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine all the ingredients well. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, adding more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to your taste.
Chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together for the best flavor.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days. This veggie-packed pasta salad is always a huge hit the next day, too!
Tips for the Best Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
This dish tastes best with orzo that isn’t overcooked. Cook your orzo until al dente, checking on it regularly to ensure you don’t cook it for too long.
Want to add even more veggies? Try bell peppers, red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes or your other favorites!
Wait until you’ve mixed all of the ingredients together to season the orzo. This recipe uses lots of salty ingredients (like olives and feta cheese), so you don’t want to risk overdoing it by adding salt before your ingredients have combined.
If you’d like some extra seasoning, you can also use a small amount of smoked paprika, fresh oregano, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, or add a little more salt and pepper or other fresh herbs.
Not a fan of making your own dressing (or lemon)? You can also use store bought Greek salad dressings for this cold pasta salad. The bold flavor goes great with the tender orzo.
Love feta? Me too! I serve this sometimes with Creamy Whipped Feta Dip and chips.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
How to Freeze Fresh Okra Without Blanching
One Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon
Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is a delicious meatless meal that your entire family will love. Made with tomatoes, olives, feta and a simple homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing, this quick and easy side Mediterranean recipe also makes a delicious side dish with any main course.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dry orzo pasta
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 Persian cucumbers, diced (mini cucumbers)
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- 6 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh parsley or basil, chopped
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: 1/2 cup drained chickpeas for extra protein
- Optional: chicken or vegetable stock to cook the orzo in
Instructions
- Cook the orzo pasta according to package instructions until al dente. I recommend cooking it with chicken stock or vegetable stock for more
flavor, but it will also cook fine in regular water. Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water and drain well. - In a large bowl, combine the cooked orzo with cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, red onion, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta cheese.
- Add the chopped parsley or basil to the bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to create the dressing.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine all the ingredients well. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, adding more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to your taste.
- Chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.
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