This Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is truly the star side dish of the Summer! Deliciously cooked orzo, creamy feta, crunchy veggies and a homemade dressing….what could be better?!
Happy cookout season, friends! If you’re looking for a delicious, fresh and unique pasta salad to bring to your next grilling out party, you have come to the right place.
I am actually in love with this Greek Orzo Pasta Salad! Let me tell you why!
Why You’ll Love This Dish:
The flavors!!! It has all of the yummy Greek flavors you love – this pasta salad is bright, tangy, creamy and crunchy!
I absolutely love the homemade dressing you make – it is made with staple ingredients like red wine vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and some spices – easy peasy to whip up and toss the salad with! It’s the perfect blend of vinegary and fresh from the lemon!
If you’ve never had orzo, I highly recommend you try it! It’s a type of pasta that, when cooked properly, yields the most delightful pasta! It’s like elevated rice that tastes so much better!
And of course, you can’t forget about how this pasta salad is LOADED with veggies! From juicy cherry tomatoes, spicy red onion, olives, fresh parsley….and my personal favorite, creamy feta!
When mixed all together, you have incredible textures, flavors and I swear, you will fall in love with each bite and go back for more!
So let’s get into what you need to make it!
Ingredients You Need:
Cooked Orzo – you can find this pasta at most grocery stores!
Cherry Tomatoes – slice these in half to have the tomatoes distributed throughout the salad!
Red onion – I diced the onion quite finely!
Kalamata Olives – These add a delightfully briney flavor to the salad but if you’re not a fan, you can skip them!
Feta Cheese – the more the better!
Parsley – the fresh herbs in this salad give it such a bright and delightful flavor!
Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Lemon, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Salt – the ingredients for the homemade dressing, so easy + delicious!
How To Make Pasta Salad in 5 Simple Steps:
- Begin by cooking the orzo. Simply cook the pasta according to package directions. I ended up cooking 2 cups of dry orzo.
- While the orzo is cooking, take that time to go ahead and chop up the veggies! Finely mince the onion, slice the cherry tomatoes into halves, slice the olives and roughly chop the parsley.
- In a jar, add the ingredients for the dressing. Add the lid to a jar and shake it to emulsify the dressing. Taste and adjust if needed!
- Once the orzo is cooked, drain the pasta and then I ran cold water over it to cool it down. Add to a large bowl along with all of the other pasta salad ingredients. Top with the dressing and toss to combine.
- Taste and add additional seasoning if needed. Pop in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to let it fully cool down and for the flavors to develop and then dig in!
Best Tips:
Be sure not to overcook the orzo. If you do, it gets rubbery and not great. I recommend setting a timer to really be sure and cook the pasta according to the package directions. And as always, taste it yourself to see if it’s done!
Instead of pre-crumbled feta, try finding an authentic Greek feta that is in the block form and crumble it yourself. I found mine at Lidl and it made the salad SO extra creamy. As I was putting the salad together, I kid you not, I was literally just eating the feta straight from the block. No regrets! Ha!
Taste and adjust as needed, especially with the dressing! If you feel like it’s too oily, add a splash of red wine vinegar or lemon. If you want it to be a bit more salty, add more salt, etc.
Ingredient Substitutions/Additions:
I 100% forgot to add cucumber to this salad when I made the recipe! I had bought one and everything! I think it would make for a great crunch, so I highly recommend adding sliced English cucumber to this salad.
Another great add would be pepperoncinis! SO good.
Another yummy add would be sliced roasted red peppers.
Lastly, if you’re looking to bulk up this pasta salad, add some protein! I would recommend adding greek souvlaki chicken or salmon.
Storing Leftovers:
I simply stored mine in the bowl I made it in – it just so happened to be a bowl with a lid! However, you can store yours in a tightly sealed container in the fridge. It will last up to 4 days!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Marinated Greek Chickpea Bowls
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Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
This Greek Orzo Pasta Salad is truly the star side dish of the Summer! Deliciously cooked orzo, creamy feta, crunchy veggies and a homemade dressing….what could be better?!
Ingredients
Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 2 cups dry orzo, cooked according to package directions
- 1 and 1/2 cups sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/3 cup sliced kalamata olives
- 3/4 cup authentic feta cheese
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
Homemade Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- pinch of salt
Instructions
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Cook the orzo according to package directions. Be sure to set a timer as to not overcook the orzo!
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While the orzo is cooking, slice the cherry tomatoes in half, slice the olives, finely dice the red onion and roughly chop the parsley. Set aside for now.
Homemade Dressing
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Add all the ingredients for the homemade dressing into a jar. Put a lid on it and shake it up to emulsify it. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Set aside.
Assembling Pasta Salad
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Once the orzo is cooked, drain it and then run some cold water over it to cool it. Add to a large bowl along with all of the other veggies you chopped along with the feta cheese. Add the dressing on top of the pasta salad and toss the salad until everything is mixed together and coated with the dressing.
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Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to cool off and let the flavors meld together. Serve with additional feta cheese and parsley on top! Enjoy!