Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is a summer pasta salad recipe with orzo, crisp vegetables, feta cheese and a light Greek dressing. You can make this salad in advance and it can be used for up to 4 days after you make it making it a great choice for weekly lunches, parties and warm weather bbqs.
I have a special place in my heart for Greek food after traveling to Greece with Mike.
We fell in love with their food, especially all of their fresh Greek salads. Since I am such a big fan of orzo salads I knew I had to make a Greek Orzo Pasta Salad.
Today’s salad mixes orzo pasta, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives, feta cheese, red onion, fresh parsley and dill and has a light Greek style dressing.
The nice thing with an orzo salad is you can prepare the salad ahead of time. I like to add half of the dressing and let it sit in the fridge and soak it up. It tastes even better the next day.
When I go to serve the delicious pasta salad I will stir in the other half of the dressing. You will love this greek orzo salad. It really is the perfect side dish.
Many of you have also made this Caprese Orzo Salad, Summer Orzo Pasta Salad, Arugula Orzo Pasta Salad, and this Tomato Feta Orzo Salad. They are all great recipes for your meal prep, get togethers or a summer bbq.
I love Greek inspired salads with mediterranean flavors like this Spiralized Greek Salad, Greek Quinoa Salad, and this Greek Village Sala
Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pasta: I used orzo pasta in this salad. I like how it is small and compliments the other ingredients and lets them shine.
- Vegetables: There is a variety of vegetables that I used. This orzo salad has cherry tomatoes, english cucumbers, red onion and kalamata olives.
- Cheese: I love adding feta cheese. Try to find a block of cheese and freshly crumble it yourself. You will love the creamy texture!
- Herbs: Fresh herbs are added to this salad to finish it off and add flavor. I added fresh parsley and fresh dill.
- Dressing: The dressing is similar to a traditional Greek dressing using a good quality extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, honey, garlic and dried oregano.
Please see the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and instructions.
How to Make this Greek Orzo Salad
Step 1. Cook the Orzo: Cook the orzo pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool it down.
Step 2. Mix Salad Ingredients: In a large bowl combine the cooked orzo, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, creamy feta cheese, red onion, and parsley.
Step 3. Mix Together Dressing Ingredients: In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
Step 4. Toss Salad in Dressing: Pour the dressing over the orzo salad and toss gently to combine, ensuring all ingredients are coated.
Step 5. Refrigerate and Serve: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together. Taste and add more greek salad dressing to your liking. Before serving, give the salad a final toss and garnish with additional parsley. Serve alongside your favorite meal and store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Greek Orzo Salad Modifications:
- Beans: You can add beans to this salad to add protein and bulk it up. I love chickpeas but white beans or black beans also work.
- Cheese: Feta cheese is obviously my go-to in a Greek salad but you could also use goat cheese or leave cheese out all-together.
- Vegetables: Fresh vegetables are another great addition to the salad. Bell pepper like green bell peppers or red peppers, zucchini, carrots, celery, radish, roasted red pepper and artichoke hearts are all great options.
- Fresh Herbs: The fresh herbs are one of my favorite additions to this salad. I also like to use fresh basil, and fresh mint.
- Nuts: Sprinkle some toasted pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts for a crunchy texture and nutty flavor.
- Grains: Substitute orzo with other grains like quinoa or couscous.
- Spices: Adding spices to the dressing creates flavor in the salad. Some options are Greek seasoning, cayenne red pepper, crushed red pepper or paprika.
- Other Ingredients: I love modifying and changing up my orzo salads depending on what is in my fridge and pantry. Some other ingredients I like adding are these pickled red onions, marinated tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, green olives, black olives, castelvetrano olives, banana peppers or pepperoncinis.
Recipe Tips
- Al Dente: Cook the orzo pasta just until it’s al dente, as it will continue to soften slightly as it cools. Overcooked orzo can become mushy and affect the texture of the salad.
- Rinse Orzo: Once the orzo is done cooking, rinse it under cold water. This stops the cooking process and helps the orzo cool quickly. It also helps prevent it from clumping together.
- Marinate: I suggest marinating the ingredients for up to 30 minute before serving. This helps the flavors really infuse into the orzo and salad ingredients.
- Dressing: The dressing adds a lot of flavor to the salad. You can adjust it to your liking by adding more lemon, spices or even more honey for sweetness. I suggest adding half of it and refrigerating the salad for 30 minutes, tasting the salad and adding more of the dressing to your liking.
What to Pair with this Salad
- I love to pair this salad with seafood like this Air Fryer Cod, Black Sea Bass or this Baked Cod with Lemon Sauce.
- Beef is another nice pairing. I often do this Grilled Flank Steak with Dry Rub, Grilled Beef Kofta Kebabs or these Mediterranean Beef Kabobs.
- A few other dishes I like to serve with this salad are these Mediterranean Baked Turkey Meatballs, Moroccan Chicken Thighs or these Grilled Chicken Thighs with Greek Marinade.
More Greek Recipes to Try
Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of dry orzo pasta {try whole wheat if you can find it}
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 of an English cucumber, sliced
- 1 cup cucumber, diced or sliced
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Cook the orzo pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool it down. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the cooked orzo, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, red onion, and parsley.
- In a small bowl or mason jar mix the olive oil, lemon juice, dried oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Pour the half of the dressing over the orzo salad and toss gently to combine, ensuring all ingredients are coated.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Add more dressing as needed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Before serving add more dressing if desired and give the salad a final toss and garnish with additional parsley and dill.
- Serve chilled and store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- This Greek Orzo Salad can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If I know I am making this ahead I will add half of the dressing and then add the other half when I serve the salad.
Made the salad, Everyone loved it. Had to use chick pea orzo first time then reg orzo both delicious Thank you for a great recipe.
Thanks! So glad you liked it. I will have to try chickpea orzo!
Can you have the option for metric as well as cup measurements on your recipes, please?
I assume orzo amount is for dry pasta
Yes sorry. If you have a box or orzo it would be 8 ounces dry orzo that I would use.
Yummy! And easy to customize. The pepperoncini’s are a must!
Glad you enjoyed it!