Greek Orzo Salad is what you make on a hot summer day! This veggie-packed pasta salad is colorful, bright, flavorful, fresh, healthy, and filling. It’s tossed with a refreshing lemony dressing and topped with crumbled feta. All you have to do is make the dressing, dice up the veg, and assemble! Ready in just 15 minutes!
Summer meals are all about fresh salads, wraps, slow cooker meals, and anything that is quick, refreshing, and doesn’t require you to stand in the kitchen for long. I LOVE making pasta salads in the summer, they’re great for potlucks, lunches, dinners, picnics, you name it!
I’m a big fan of the classic Greek salad and its simple but bold flavors, and adding pasta to it makes it, even more, filling so it can be served as a main dish. It’s the type of salad that you quickly fall in love with, and will keep making it over and over again.
What is Orzo?
Although Orzo looks like rice, it’s actually a variety of really small pasta. Pasta of the size of rice! Because of its shape and size, it works great in salads and soups. It’s available in all supermarkets at the pasta aisle.
How to Make Greek Orzo Salad
There are quite a few ingredients that go in the salad, but they are simple, and throwing them together is really quick. You basically need all of the traditional Greek salad ingredients, plus orzo!
The Ingredients
I swapped the tomatoes for sweet cherry tomatoes and made a simple dressing with lemon and high-quality extra virgin olive oil that I got from Greece. Feel free to add any extra veg to this salad, as it’s a modern take on the Greek salad and all fresh flavors work great here.
How to Make Greek Orzo Salad
- To make the salad, cook the Orzo as per package instructions. I always cook pasta in salted water, and I never add any oil. I find oil really unnecessary when it comes to cooking pasta.
- Dice up all the veg that you’re using, and slice the olives. You can either use tangy kalamata olives or just black olives. I went with pitted and sliced olives for convenience.
- Place everything in a bowl that’s large enough to toss the salad.
- Make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a jar, and shake it. Then dress your salad, and crumble the feta over the Greek orzo salad!
- Give your salad a big toss, and serve!
This salad is so fresh, full of flavor, the kids love it, and it’s healthy too. I wish I could have it every day in the summer!
Expert Tips
- Traditionally kalamata olives are used in a Greek salad, but feel free to use black olives if that’s what you have available.
- If making this salad ahead of time, then I recommend adding the cucumber and tomatoes just before serving so that the salad does not get soggy.
- I recommend using English or Persian cucumbers (if possible) rather than standard American cucumbers for a great crunch.
- Don’t add too much salt to this salad, as the feta and the olives are already salted.
- Buy a block of feta and crumble it on your own, as I found pre-crumbled feta to be dry and flavorless.
Recipe Variations
This salad is VERY versatile, so use it as a starting point and add your own spin on it. Here are some ideas on how you can upgrade your Greek Orzo Salad:
- Add extra protein such as grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, or cooked chickpeas.
- Change up the vegetables or add more leafy greens.
- Add mustard to the dressing for a sharp flavor.
- Use other types of pasta. Any type of short pasta shape works here.
Also, make sure to check out my super simple but delicious kid-friendly pasta salad, it’s also packed with veggies and the kids can help make it too!
And this grilled chicken Caesar salad is also super easy and delish!
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Greek Orzo Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For The Salad:
- 1 and ½ cups dried uncooked orzo
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cucumber sliced into half-moons
- ½ red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup olives
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- To make the salad, start by cooking the Orzo as per package instructions until just al dente. I always cook pasta in salted water, and I never add any oil. I find oil really unnecessary.
- As the pasta cooks, dice up all the veg that you're using and slice the olives.
- Place everything in a bowl that's large enough to toss the salad.
- Make the dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a jar, and shake it. Then dress your salad, crumble the feta over the salad, and give it a big toss.
Notes
- It’s important to always cook pasta to al dente when using it in salads, otherwise, it will be too soft and have a mushy texture.
- Traditionally kalamata olives are used in a Greek salad, but feel free to use black olives if that’s what you have available.
- If making this salad ahead of time, then I recommend adding the cucumber and tomatoes just before serving so that the salad does not get soggy.
- I recommend using English or Persian cucumbers (if possible) rather than standard American cucumbers for a great crunch.
- Buy a block of feta and crumble it on your own, as I found pre-crumbled feta to be dry and flavorless.
- Don’t add too much salt to this salad as the feta and the olives are already quite salty.
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