Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

This Greek Orzo Salad is packed to the brim with flavour and is so simple to make!

Here I’ll show you how to turn orzo into one of the most delicious pasta salads imaginable! Follow me…

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

The key to this salad being so delicious is the marinade. Instead of merely mixing all the ingredients together, we’re going to marinate some of them in the dressing beforehand. This will create a gorgeous flavour exchange between the ingredients and the dressing, which amplifies the flavour of the whole salad.

The main ingredients in question are feta, tomatoes, olives, alongside red onion and garlic.

How long do you marinate the ingredients?

I recommend an hour, but you can marinate them for longer if you’d like. Anything up to overnight you’ll want to cover it in the fridge. Also, try and stir everything now and then if you can.

Process shots: add extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano, salt & pepper to bowl (photo 1), whisk (photo 2), add tomatoes, feta, red onion, olives and garlic (photo 3), toss then marinate (photo 4), add cooked/drained orzo, cucumber & green pepper (photo 5), stir to combine (photo 6).

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad FAQ

Where can I find Orzo?

You’ll find it in the pasta section at most supermarkets.

Can I use a different pasta?

Although I haven’t tried it, I imagine other short-cut pastas will work well. Just use the same weight as the orzo.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yes! You can chill it in the fridge until needed if you prefer a cold pasta salad. Just be aware the longer it rests the drier it will get (still delicious though).

How long will this last in the fridge?

I typically keep this for around 3 days tightly stored in the fridge.

Serving Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

To serve, I love stirring in a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end to lift the dish. The salad is quite tangy in the first instance, but it mellows out as it rests.

You can serve this as a main for Lunch, but also works nicely as a Side too.

How to make Greek Orzo Pasta Salad (Full Recipe & Video)

4.84 from 6 votes

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

By: Chris Collins

This Greek Orzo Salad is packed to the brim with flavour and so simple to make!

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Equipment

• Large Pot & Colander (for cooking orzo)
• Large Mixing/Salad Bowl & Spatula (for salad)
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients 

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• ▢ 80ml / 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ▢ 3 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• ▢ 1 small bunch Fresh Parsley, finely diced (1oz/30g)
• ▢ 1 heaped tsp Dried Oregano
• ▢ 1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper, plus more to taste if desired
• ▢ 150g / 5.3oz Baby Plum Tomatoes, halved
• ▢ 100g / 3.5oz Feta, sliced into tiny cubes
• ▢ 100g / 3.5oz Kalamata Olives, halved
• ▢ 3 tbsp very finely diced Red Onion (1/2 small/medium onion)
• ▢ 1 small clove of Garlic, very finely diced
• ▢ 300g / 1 1/2 cups uncooked Orzo
• ▢ 75g / 2.6oz Green Pepper, finely diced
• ▢ 75g / 2.6oz Cucumber, sliced into thin quarter pieces
• ▢ 1/2 Lemon, juice only

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Instructions 

• In a large mixing/salad bowl, whisk together extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano and salt & pepper. Add in the tomatoes, feta, olives, onion & garlic and stir to combine. Leave it all to marinate for as long as you have time for. I recommend at least an hour, which you can do at room temp. Any longer cover in the fridge (up to overnight). Stir everything every now and then if you can.
• Cook the orzo in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and rinse with cold water until completely cool. Give it a good shake to discard the excess water, then add into the bowl. Stir in the pepper and cucumber.
• Stir in the juice of half a lemon (or to taste) then check for seasoning and adjust if needed.

Video

Notes

a) Marinating - Leaving the olives etc to marinate before you combine everything injects heaps of flavour into the dressing. All of the ingredients also take on a really lovely flavour too. I leave the cucumber and pepper out of this process, just because I don't think they themselves or the dressing benefit from their presence at this stage.

b) Lemon - I love adding a final squeeze of lemon juice at the end to really lift the dish. I usually end up using around half a lemon, but you can just work to preference.

c) Serving - The salad is gorgeously tangy in the first instance, but it mellows out as the salad rests. I typically let it sit for 10 or so minutes before serving, just to allow the flavour to all marry together, but you can tightly store it in the fridge for up to a few days. The orzo dries out slightly the longer it rests, but it's still delicious!

d) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4.

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Nutrition

Calories: 571kcal | Carbohydrates: 66.56g | Protein: 10.43g | Fat: 30.94g | Saturated Fat: 7.273g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.339g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19.023g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 775mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 10.5g | Sugar: 3.46g | Vitamin A: 1337IU | Vitamin C: 33.4mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 1.95mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

For more pasta salads check out my Incredible Pasta Salad Recipes!

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