Tomato Feta Orzo Salad is a light but flavor packed salad mixing orzo, feta, tomatoes, cucumber, arugula and fresh herbs and topped with a Balsamic dressing. This is a great way to use up your summer produce and makes a great dish for a crowd! 

TOMATO FETA ORZO SALAD

One of my most popular recipes on my site is this Summer Orzo Pasta Salad. I am right there with all of you. I just love orzo salads especially in late summer when I need to use up my garden vegetables. 

Today’s Tomato Feta Orzo Salad is a light but flavor packed orzo salad that mixes orzo pasta, fresh vegetables, parsley and basil, feta cheese, arugula and a balsamic dressing. The dressing uses a small amount of tomato paste to add even more tomato flavor to the salad. If that isn’t your thing you can leave that out. 

I love making a big batch of orzo salads and eating them throughout the week for lunches. I also love making this Greek Orzo Pasta Salad from time to time. 

HOW TO MAKE AN ORZO SALAD

• The first step is to boil the orzo according to the package.
• While you are doing that chop the vegetables.
• Next you will want to prep the dressing in a mason jar or salad dressing container.
• Place the cooled orzo in a large mixing bowl along with the diced vegetables. Add the herbs and the feta cheese. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and gently toss. Enjoy this easy orzo salad for a crowd! 

CAN I PREP THIS SALAD AHEAD OF TIME?

You can prep some of this salad ahead of time. I would wait to add the tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula until you are ready to serve because that can tend to become soggy and not as fresh after sitting. 

If you do have leftovers I would add more balsamic vinegar and olive oil to freshen it up when you are ready to eat the salad again. 

OTHER VARIATIONS FOR THIS SALAD

PASTA: I am a huge fan of orzo but if you aren’t or don’t have it on hand I suggest subbing any other smaller shaped pasta. But with that said I think the vegetables combination with the feta and dressing would work great with almost any pasta.

OLIVES: I am an olive lover and never regret when I add olives to a salad. Kalamata or green olives would be great in this tomato orzo salad.  

NUTS: Nuts are always a nice addition to salads for the crunch and healthy benefits. I especially love pine nuts, silvered almonds and walnuts. 

CHEESE: I used feta cheese and finished the salad off with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I think that goat cheese or mozzarella would also be great additions. 

VEGETABLES: When it comes to pasta salads my suggestion is to use whatever you have on hand. I especially like zucchini, red onion, carrots, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes and bell peppers in this salad. 

BEANS: If you want to keep this salad vegetarian but add protein try adding beans. I love chickpeas, white beans or kidney beans. 

PROTEIN: I think that grilled chicken, steak or even salmon work great in this salad. If you have rotisserie chicken on hand that can be a great thing to chop up and throw in the salad. 

DRESSING: I used balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a quick squeeze of lemon juice and a teaspoon of tomato paste. You can really create whatever dressing you want for this salad as long as it is on the lighter side. I think a sumac lemon dressing would be great too. 

WHAT SHOULD I SERVE THIS SALAD WITH?

I adore orzo salads and I love pairing them with these recipes:

LEMON CHICKEN

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN 

GRILLED BEEF KAFTA KABOBS

SEA BASS