Greek Orzo Salad

This simple Greek Orzo Salad is packed with all of your favorite Greek flavors! Tender orzo, crunchy cucumbers and red onion, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives and salty feta cheese all tossed together in a red wine vinaigrette. It’s perfect for lunch, dinner and will be a hit at summer barbecues!

This recipe and photos have been updated since the original post on 2/17/2014

Greek and Mediterranean food really need to have their own category here on the blog. I’ve made so many recipes inspired by this cuisine that I’ve lost count.

Some of my favorite recipes, aside from this Greek Orzo Salad are, Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce, Skillet Greek Lemon Chicken and Rice and this Mediterranean Lentil Salad.

I love everything from the fresh herbs and vegetables, the acidic, salty and briny flavors and the fact that I don’t feel stuffed and sluggish after eating these meals. Today I’m adding this Greek Orzo Salad into the mix. It’s different from a lot of pasta salads in that it’s fresh and doesn’t feel heavy. It’s a great option to serve this summer!

Ingredients For Greek Orzo Salad

• Orzo, regular, whole wheat or gluten free can be used.
• English or Persian cucumber
• Cherry tomatoes
• Red onion
• Kalamata olives
• Feta cheese
• Flat leaf parsley
• Red wine vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• Dried oregano and garlic powder
• Honey

How To Make Greek Orzo Salad

1. Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Once it’s cooked, rinse it under cold water and drain. Generally I never rinse pasta, unless it’s for a cold pasta salad.
2. While the orzo cooks chop all of the vegetables and parsley and put them in a large serving bowl. 
3. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
4. Pour the cooled orzo into the serving bowl with the vegetables. Add in the feta and pour in the vinaigrette. Stir everything together until it’s combined and serve. 

Can I Make The Orzo Salad Ahead Of Time? 

Yes. The salad can be made in advance, but I would wait to add in the vinaigrette or make extra vinaigrette. Pasta absorbs dressing and sauces the longer it sits, so you may find it needs more the next day. 

Substitutions For Orzo

If you don’t have orzo or can’t find it at the store, I recommend substituting with another small shaped pasta. Ditalini, macaroni, small shells or even Israeli couscous would all be good substitutions. 

How To Serve Greek Orzo Salad

• Serve it as a main dish vegetarian salad for lunch or dinner. If you want to make the salad heartier, I suggest adding a can of chickpeas to it.
• This Greek orzo salad goes great with these Greek lemon chicken skewers with tzatziki sauce.
• As a side dish to grilled salmon, chicken, shrimp, or these Greek meatballs with tzatziki sauce.

More Orzo Recipes

• Greek Meatballs and Orzo Skillet
• Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad
• One Pot Parmesan Chicken, Spinach, and Orzo
• Shrimp Orzo Salad with Feta and Herbs
• Spinach Orzo Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese

Did you make this Greek Orzo Salad? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.