All of the flavors you love but with pasta! Our Greek Orzo Salad is a super-fast, easy-to-make, flavorful side perfect for any cookout. Serve it warm or cold, this orzo pasta salad will be a favorite vegetarian side at any BBQ!
Bring on the BBQ season, friends! Here's another loved side that's perfect to make ahead and bring to your favorite cookout because it will complement any variety of grilled food and snacks this summer! Our Greek Orzo Salad is an orzo pasta salad with all of the flavors you love in a Greek salad and all of the ease of a classic summer pasta salad, but just a touch different thanks to the rice-shaped orzo.
We absolutely love this side. It's one of our new staples for summer! I mean how can you go wrong with Greek salad flavors but with fun orzo pasta? You can't, that's the answer! Plus, because orzo isn't as popular a summer pasta salad choice, this side will have people takin' a lil' second glance at your bowl at the cookout, and will certainly have people coming back for second helpings!
Ingredients Needed
- Orzo - We love this pasta that's disguising itself as rice. But you could of course use your other favorite pasta for pasta salad, like rotini or elbows.
- Cucumber - English cucumbers are our favorite for summer salads like this because they have smaller seeds and tend to be a bit crunchier.
- Tomatoes - Cherry, grape or even chopped romas are great. We love the added sweetness a cherry tomato brings, though.
- Olives - Black olives are a staple in our home, but a more classic Greek salad option would be kalamata olives. Just be sure to get the ones that are pitted to save yourself the hassle!
- Feta Cheese - DId you know you can make your own? It's a labor of love, but so fun. Or of course, use your favorite unseasoned.
- Red Onion - Classic for a Greek salad.
- Olive Oil - This is when you bust out the good stuff, dressings like this.
- Lemon Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, Oregano, Garlic, Salt, and Pepper - Everything you need for a perfect dressing!
- Fresh Parsley - The perfect bright fresh finish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the Vinaigrette
Fresh garlic, a great olive oil, lemon juice, and just the right amount of seasonings. We always make our vinaigrettes and dressings in a pour spout Pyrex for easy pouring.
Add veggies and orzo to a bowl
Cook the orzo, chop the veggies and give it all a good mix.
Finish with Dressing, Parsley, and Feta
Add that flavorful dressing and finish this orzo pasta salad with fresh herbs and feta.
Give it all a good mix and you have our Greek Orzo Salad, a delicious, easy, summer side perfect for any cookout table!
Recipe Tips
Definitely! One of the best parts of summer pasta salads like these, is you can abolustely make them all ahead of time! Make it in the morning and let all of the flavors meld together for an afternoon cookout. Or prep it all the night before and just keep the feta off until before you're ready to serve.
Of COURSE. Use you're favorite! My kids are just obsessed with all things orzo lately, but this is also great with a more classic pasta salad pasta like rotini. Or make it gluten-free by using your favorite gluten free pasta or a rice noodle.
You can use either for this recipe, see the recipe card for conversions. Although we recommend using fresh parsley - it makes a big difference from using dried.
Looking for more fast, easy, make ahead summer sides? Here are some of our other favorites:
- Israeli Couscous Cucumber Salad
- Classic Maracon Salad
- Avocado Pasta Salad
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Sesame Soba Noodle Salad
- Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Asian Sesame Ginger Slaw
- Avocado Corn Salsa
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
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Ingredients
- 1/2 lb orzo or 4 cups cooked
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes halved, approximately 1 1/2 cups
- 3.8 oz sliced black olives approximately 1/2 cup
- 1 large english cucumber peeled and chopped, 1 1/2 cups
- 1/2 red onion diced, approximately 1/2 - 3/4 cup
- 6 oz feta cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
Dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil the good stuff
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Instructions
- Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil. Add orzo and let boil for 9 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prep tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, and onion and add it all to a large bowl.
- Create dressing by adding oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper to a dish (like a spouted pyrek) and whisk vigerously with a fork.
- Once the orzo is done, drain and add to large bowl with veggies.
- Mix well and then add dressing. Mix well again. Top with fresh parsley and feta and give a final mix.
- Serve immediately, or store in fridge until ready to serve.
So good! Thank you for posting, I wanted to recreate it from a dish that I tasted at Plum Market and this one did the trick!
This Greek Orzo Salad taste is fantastic ! It is tangy and full of all those wonderful flavors. The feta cheese breaks up and is almost creamy. This will be enjoyed many times this summer.
Great to hear, Debbie!