Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is full of fresh, crunchy vegetables and bright, summery flavors!  It’s the perfect crowd-pleasing salad to take to your summer get-together.

Sharing one of my all-time favorite summer salads!

Whenever we are invited to a get-together in the summer and need to bring something to share, chances are good I’ll be toting this salad along.

The beautiful bright colors of the fresh crunchy vegetables–cucumber, yellow bell pepper, red onion and tomatoes–look like summer!  A light and lively lemon dressing, fresh herbs and feta cheese pull everything together into a flavor-packed summery crowd-pleaser!

Best of all, orzo pasta cooks quickly so cooking it will not heat up your kitchen.

What is orzo?

Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that’s also called risoni.  Although it looks like rice, it’s not gluten-free unless you use gluten-free orzo.

How do you cook orzo?

Orzo cooks very quickly.  Because orzo cooks so quickly, it’s easy to overcook.  I highly recommend buying a good-quality orzo such as Delallo (affiliate link).  Delallo will hold up better in a pasta salad such as this Greek Orzo Pasta Salad because it’s made with durum wheat semolina which is higher in protein than traditional wheat flour.

How to make Greek Orzo Pasta Salad:

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is super simple to make!  The most difficult part will be prepping the vegetables.

• Chop:
  • Cucumber
  • Yellow bell pepper
  • Red onion
  • Fresh parsley
  • Fresh oregano
• Halve: 
  • Grape or cherry tomatoes
  • Kalamata olives
• Mince:
  • Fresh garlic
• Juice:
  • Fresh lemons

• Combine!

• Add crumbled feta cheese…

• Garnish with chopped parsley, parsley leaves and lemon wedges.

That’s it!

Pro tip!  »»» When I make this salad ahead of time such as for my personal chef clients, I toss the orzo with a small amount of the lemon dressing to keep the pasta moist.  I then cover tightly and refrigerate.  When I’m ready to serve, I add the rest of the dressing and stir well.

Let’s eat!

Be sure to try these other great pasta salad recipes!

• Caprese Pizza Pasta Salad
• Whole-Grain Pasta Salad with Cucumber Dressing, Peas and Fresh Dill
• Chicken Pasta Salad with Spinach Buttermilk Dressing

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Yield: 8

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

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Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is full of fresh, crunchy vegetables and bright, summery flavors!  It's the perfect crowd-pleasing salad to take to your summer get-together.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• Salt
• 2 cups orzo pasta, uncooked
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (or 2 cups), halved
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 English cucumber, seeded and diced (peeled if desired)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons), or to taste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• Parsley sprigs and lemon wedges, for garnish

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook to al dente. Drain into a sieve and run under cold running water to cool. Drain.
2. Combine orzo, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, cucumber, parsley, oregano and olives in a mixing bowl.
3. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt and black pepper to taste.
4. Pour over salad and stir.
5. Fold in feta cheese.
6. Serve, garnished with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges.

Notes

MAKE AHEAD: Drizzle a small amount of the dressing over salad, seal tightly and refrigerate. When ready to serve, add remaining dressing and stir.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 426Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 305mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 11g

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