Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Creamy Feta

Close up of Greek Pasta Salad with Orzo, garnished with fresh basil.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Creamy Feta

A Summer Orzo Salad to make again and again! My Greek Orzo Pasta Salad recipe highlights the season’s freshest veggies featuring crisp cucumber, juicy tomatoes, salty kalamata olives, creamy feta cheese and toasted (yes, toasted!) orzo pasta. A snappy lemony Greek dressing ties all the flavors together. Versatile and delicious as a side dish, lunch, or main with only 30 minutes hands on time to make, it's easy to whip up!

This recipe yields about 10, 1 cup (210 grams) servings.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Greek

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword Greek Orzo Pasta Salad, Greek Pasta Salad

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Rest Time 15

Total Time 45

Servings Servings

Calories 255kcal

Author Traci York

Ingredients

For the Orzo:

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 1/4 cups (235 grams) Orzo Pasta
1 1/2 cups (340 grams) Vegetable Broth

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup (70 grams) Fresh Lemon Juice from about two lemons
1/4 cup (50 grams) Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
2 Fat Cloves of Garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon Oregano dried
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt

For the Salad:

2 pounds (900 grams) Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half, about 2 pints
1 pound (450 grams) Cucumber garden or Kerby, sliced lengthwise, seeds scraped, cut into chunks.
1 1/2 cups (150 grams) Red Onion sliced in 1/2 moons, larger pieces cut in half. about 3/4 of a large onion
1 1/2 cups (230 grams) Kalamata Olives pitted, sliced in half or quartered
3/4 cup (170 grams) Feta Cheese crumbled
Fresh Basil about a small handful, torn into pieces
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

For the Orzo:

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat until shimmering. Add the orzo and stir, coating the orzo thoroughly. Stir occasionally for about 3 minutes or until the orzo is toasty and golden.
Pour in the vegetable broth. Be careful here because the broth will spit and sputter. Bring to a simmer, turn down the heat to low, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for about five minutes.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in 3 tablespoons of the dressing (see below). Rest the salad in the fridge while you finish preparing the veggies.

For the Dressing:

In a lidded jar or small bowl shake/whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper until an emulsion forms. Set aside.

Put the Salad Together:

To the large mixing bowl with the orzo, add the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, feta and basil. Add a few twists of fresh ground pepper. Pour the remaining dressing over the salad and gently toss. Taste for salt and add more basil to taste.
Share right away or store in the refrigerator.

To Store:

Store in a lidded container for up to four days. This salad is freshest in appearance and cucumber crunch however, for up to two days.

Notes

Onion Tip: If the red onion has a sharp taste, you can soak it, sliced, in ice water for about 10 minutes prior to adding them to your recipe. This mellows their flavor yet retains crunch.

Hang on to those cucumber seeds after scraping the cucumbers. They're delicious and refreshing in smoothies.

Nutrition