Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

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

Reader, Lala says: ‘Wow I made this Greek orzo pasta salad this evening and it’s soo filling and really delicious. I’ll be making it a lot over the summer. ★★★★★’

close up shot of greek orzo pasta salad in white bowl with 2 silver forks

Greek Pasta Salad

As far as orzo salads go, this has to be one of the more popular versions. With that being said, it begs the question, ‘What makes this particular Greek orzo salad better than the rest?’. The answer is all in the preparation of the ingredients.

Marinating the fillings

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.

Recipe Tip #1

Because the orzo is so small, I recommend dicing everything up nice and small, just so you get a bit of everthing with each fork full!

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).

Orzo Pasta Salad

I can’t explain it, but using orzo in this salad just takes it to new heights. Yes, it’s just pasta and yes, you could just use regular pasta. But sometimes life just calls for orzo!

When you cook the orzo, it’s really important to rinse it in cold water and drain it well. This is for a couple of reasons:

It immediately stops the cooking process so the pasta doesn’t continue cooking as it rests.
It lowers the temperature of the pasta so it doesn’t wilt the herbs or warm the other fillings.
It removes the starch, which helps keep the pasta salad loose and prevents it from sticking too much as it rests.

Recipe Tip #2

Because the orzo will dry up the longer it sits, I actually like to overcook it slightly. That way, there’s room for it to absorb the marinade without getting too chewy.

close up shot of greek orzo salad in large salad bowl with salad tossers

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 it also works nicely as a Side too. Here’s some of my favourite mains to serve alongside:

For more pasta salad recipes check out my Incredible Pasta Salad Recipes!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Greek orzo salad shall we?!

overhead shot of greek orzo pasta salad in large white bowl

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