This Greek orzo salad is made with cucumbers, chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion, feta and herbs, all tossed in a herb dressing. A simple yet hearty pasta salad that can be served as a main course or side dish.
Orzo pasta salad is an unexpected and delicious addition to any meal. The combination of crunchy vegetables, protein packed chickpeas and creamy feta cheese just can’t be beat!
There’s nothing better than the perfect side dish when it comes to a summer get together. I enjoy coming up with various side dishes that are fresh and new like this orzo salad. The delicious mixture of chickpeas and crunchy vegetables pair well with the creamy feta cheese to make the ultimate easy summer salad.
HOW DO YOU MAKE ORZO SALAD?
This orzo pasta salad is made with fresh veggies and herbs to provide the best flavor. A combination of tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, chickpeas and feta cheese is mixed with orzo pasta, then tossed in a Greek style dressing. This salad can be made up to 4 hours before you plan to serve it.
To cool your orzo quickly for this salad, run it under cold water in a colander. The cold water will cool the pasta as well as prevent it from clumping together.
The dressing is a simple combination of olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, herbs and spices. It takes about 2 minutes to put together and adds plenty of flavor to the salad.
If you prefer to use a different cheese other than feta for your orzo pasta salad, goat cheese is a great substitute. You also don’t have to stick to the vegetables I used. There are plenty of other veggies that would work well either as a substitute or as an addition.
Some other great additions to this orzo salad are
- Olives
- Pine nuts
- Green peppers
WHAT IS ORZO?
Orzo is a type of short cut pasta that resembles grains of rice, only a tad bit bigger. It can also go by the name “risoni.”You can find orzo in the pasta aisle of almost all major grocery stores.
HOW DO I USE ORZO?
Orzo is cooked just as most pasta is – boiled. You can use orzo like you would rice or in a variety of pasta dishes.
This orzo pasta salad is so easy to make that I make a batch a few times a month, I love to have it as a lighter lunch. It’s definitely healthier than many other side dishes can be, and it gets the kids to eat their vegetables. It’s definitely one of my go-to dishes for summer family meals or get togethers.
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Orzo Salad Video
Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried orzo pasta cooked in salted water according to package directions, then cooled
- 1 1/2 cups cucumber diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the orzo pasta, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, red onion, parsley and feta cheese in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, oregano and salt and pepper.
- Pour the dressing over the pasta mixture. Toss to coat, then serve.
Melissa says
Love the recipe – would recommend half the olive oil though as I felt it overwhelmed the dish and took away from the other flavors.
Ana M. Scheufler says
Well that was great! Definitely add kalamata olives!!
JaimeG says
Great recipe. Very tasty.
Altered with cilantro instead of parsley, what I had on hand, & added kalamata olives. The olives really kicked up the flavor.
Melinda W. says
Looks fantastic! I am wondering how long will this keep in the refrigerator? I will be the only one eating it, and am hoping that it will keep well, so this can be my lunch for several days.
Sara says
It will keep for 3 days!
Bridgette says
Just made this for dinner tonight with some turkey kielbasa on the side. the only thing I changed was I substituted the parsley for cilantro out of preference. It turned out wonderfully and my husband and I both enjoyed it. It was very filling but very nice for a summer night. Definitely would be very good for a party as a side dish.
Dana says
Planning on taking this to a pot luck. How far in advance can/should I make it?
Sara says
You can make this up to 6 hours in advance!
Lucia says
If I have made the orzo pasta salad ahead and refrigerated it, do I need to add boiling water to make the olive oil runny again? Will sitting out at room temperature do the same thing?
Sara says
If you make the entire salad ahead of time, the olive oil shouldn’t harden. You can leave it out for about 15 minutes at room temperature if you prefer before serving just to make sure!
Traci says
Made this today for our neighborhood cookout and it was a hit! I added a lot of other ingredients like roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, and kalamata olives to give it a bit of a Mediterranean flair. Also didnt have any lemon juice but did have lime juice and it still was great. Thanks!
John Mitchell says
Fantastic, that for the recipe. This is my second time making it, I can’t wait until my tomato, cucumber and zucchini plants start producing, it will kick this up to a whole new level.
Maureen says
I make this very similar recipe but i add salad shrimp to make it a meal. So deliciously addictive!!
Linda Brown says
I made this salad..Love it..More salads please
Lydris Bartholomew says
I made this dish yesterday as part of my Mother’s day lunch and it was a hit with the fam. Thank you!
[email protected] vinegar says
What a lovely & brilliant recipe idea! Really great.Can’t wait to try this out. Thanks a lot. Keep going.
LE says
I have just finished making the salad. Next step is to add the dressing before I serve it.
Can’t wait to taste this salad.
Sara says
Hope you enjoy!!
Ada says
OMG this salad looks beyond amazing! The perfect side dish to any dinner or perfect lunch!
Ruth I. says
This looks so good and flavorful! A perfect healthy salad for the whole family!
Debbie says
Meal in a bowl so nice for the hot weather we are having. I think it would be tasty for more than 1 day.
Flyingkids says
This is a very impressive post. Nice ideas and shots.
Lavanda Michelle says
Such awesome and fresh ingredients. I would love to try this salad. Yummy!
Sabrina Fox says
I’ve never had this before, but oh my goodness does it look amazing. Bookmarked for the next time I make lasagna. Yummy!
Suzanne Melton says
This looks absolutely yummy and a perfect summertime dish. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.
Kathy says
Fantastic summer salad
I love this salad and it can be very versatile depending on what is ripe in the garden. I always add kalamata olives and some rough chopped fresh baby spinach. Mine has tons of cherry tomatoes but none for my husband or daughter who love chopped red bell pepper instead. We love the dressing and occasionally add a little extra red wine vinegar after the salad has sat for a day.
Love ❤️ this salad!