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 to Make the 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 the 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 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. 

As I mentioned above, this Greek Orzo Salad is wonderful for a vegetarian lunch or dinner and is an easy dish to make for barbecues, potlucks, etc. If you want to make the salad heartier, I suggest adding diced chicken or a can of chickpeas to it. This salad will serve 4 as a main dish or 6 as a side dish. 

More Orzo Salad Recipes

Summer Vegetable Orzo Salad

Shrimp Orzo Salad with Feta and Herbs

Spinach Orzo Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese

Greek Orzo Salad

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes

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Ingredients

Salad

• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1 English cucumber, diced (Persian cucumbers work too)
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Vinaigrette

• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the orzo until al dente. Rinse and drain the orzo under cold water then pour it into a large serving bowl. Add the remaining salad ingredients in with the orzo.
2. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette and pour over the salad. Stir together until everything is coated in the vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 364Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 365mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 11g