My Go-To Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
Greek Orzo Salad is the perfect summer side dish! Light, refreshing and so easy to make this greek orzo salad recipe is going to be in your weekly menu planning rotation. Made with classic Greek flavors, you can serve with a protein if you want (we love the best grilled chicken breasts, perfect grilled salmon or these Greek Turkey Meatballs) and is a great addition to any cookout!
Love orzo: try our One Pan Parmesan Chicken Orzo!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy: you truly just toss everything in a bowl; taste and adjust!
- Light: the orzo is pasta, but doesn’t sit heavy in your stomach while the tomato, cucumber and other ingredients are super light!
- Versatile: serve as-is, with dairy-free feta or with a protein!
Orzo Greek Salad Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- orzo + water: gotta cook that orzo!
- Greek vinaigrette: you can use our homemade Greek vinaigrette or you can use store-bought
- kalamata olives: make sure you buy the pitted variety!
- feta cheese: you can easily use a dairy-free feta cheese here.
- cucumber: I like using the little English cucumbers.
- cherry tomatoes + red onions: both must-haves for anything Greek!
- kosher salt + ground black pepper: because you gotta have that extra flavor.
- lemon zest: this adds just a bit of acidity that really brightens up the flavors.
How to Make Orzo Greek Salad
Step 1: Cook your orzo – drain excess water and then I would recommend rinsing with cold water so you aren’t mixing hot orzo with things like feta cheese!
Step 2: Toss everything together.
Step 3: Serve and enjoy!
We loved serving it with pesto salmon and some simple steamed asparagus.
Other Greek-Inspired Recipes You Might Like
Greek Chicken Bake
Greek Chicken Meatballs
Warm Greek Pasta
Roasted Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
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Ingredients
- 4 cups water, or broth
- 2 cups uncooked orzo
- 2 cups kalamata olives, pitted
- 2 cups cucumber, sliced and quartered
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup red onions, diced
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (use dairy-free or regular feta)
- ¼ cup Greek vinaigrette*
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook Orzo: Add 4 cups water to a small/medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 2 cups uncooked orzo and let cook 8-12 minutes or until cooked al dente. Drain. Rinse with cold water.
- Combine: Place rinsed/drained orzo into a large bowl. Add 2 cups kalamata olives, 2 cups cucumber, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ½ cup red onions, 4 ounces feta cheese, ¼ cup Greek vinaigrette*, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Adjust: Taste and add additional vinaigrette, salt, lemon zest or other ingredients – as desired.
- Serve: Enjoy right away!
Notes
- *Greek vinaigrette: you can use homemade Greek vinaigrette or store-bought – either will work! Feel free to add more or less, as desired. If you make this ahead of time or the salad sits out for a bit, just note that the you may need to add more as the orzo soaks up the liquid! You can also drizzle a bit of olive oil in there too if it starts to get a bit dry.
- Make ahead: you can definitely make this ahead of time, but as noted above, you may need to add quite a bit more vinaigrette as the orzo will soak up the liquid as it sits.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Protein: feel free to serve with some simple grilled chicken breasts or greek turkey meatballs, if you want!
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