Greek Orzo Salad

I love Greek food!

I love everything from gyros, salads, tzatziki, hummus,  spanakopita, and of course baklava! I think the reason I love Greek food so much is because of the fresh, bright ingredients. The spreads and dips such as hummus and tzatziki include things like lemon juice, Greek yogurt, dill, cucumbers, and garlic.

Whenever I eat Greek food I don’t leave the restaurant feeling bloated and heavy, but rather perfectly full and satisfied. One of my favorite salads is Greek salad. To me the best part of this salad is the feta cheese and olives, mmmm salty crumbly cheese and briny olives!

I love cheese that packs a punch in flavor. If I’m going to be eating all the fat and calories that sadly is part of cheese, then I want the most flavorful cheese I can get. Earlier this week a craving for Greek food hit me, but of course it was snowing so I wasn’t about to suggest going out for dinner.

I rummaged through the fridge and found that I had everything to make a great Greek salad except lettuce. I checked the pantry and saw a box of orzo, perfect! Orzo is a great little pasta that works wonderfully in pasta salads. A lot of people confuse it for rice because of it’s size and shape, but I assure you it’s pasta.

To make this Greek orzo salad I cooked the pasta and then let it cool. As it was cooling I chopped up cucumber, tomato, red onion, roasted red pepper, kalamata olives, and fresh flat leaf parsley. I poured the orzo into a big bowl and added all of the vegetables. I then whisked up a red wine vinaigrette dressing and poured it over the salad. I topped the salad off with lots of delicious feta cheese! The salad was so easy to make and tasted wonderful! It satisfied my craving for Greek food (at least for a few days). Now all I need is a big piece of Baklava, who wants to bring me one?

Nutrition

Calories

469.66 cal

Fat

32.3 g

Carbs

36.72 g

Protein

9.93 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

Yields 2-3 servings

Greek Orzo Salad

15 minPrep Time

9 minCook Time

24 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

For the Salad
• 1/2 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 1/2 cup cucumber, diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1 roasted red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup tomato, diced
• 1-2 T. flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
For the Dressing
• 1 1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 t. honey
• 1 t. dijon mustard
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 t. garlic powder
• 1/2 t. dried oregano
• 1/2 t. dried basil

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box, omitting oil if it calls for it.
2. Drain the pasta and let if cool.
3. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
4. Chop the cucumber, red onion, roasted red pepper, tomato, parsley, and olives.
5. Pour the orzo into a bowl and add in all of the chopped vegetables and the feta cheese.
6. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until everything is combined.
7. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge.

Notes

The dressing recipe was slightly adapted from My Baking Addiction .

7.8.1.2

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