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This Greek Orzo Pasta Salad recipe is made with orzo, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, fresh parsley, mint, and Feta cheese all tossed in a simple homemade Greek vinaigrette.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad in a bowl with a gold serving spoon.

Greek orzo salad is a quick and easy salad to make and it makes a great dish to serve with grilled chicken or salmon. 

Clear glass bowls filled with chopped cucumber, chopped tomatoes, red onion, kalamat olives and orzo.

What You Will Love About This Recipe

  • Great For Sharing. This salad is a great one to make for potlucks, tailgate parties and backyard barbecues .
  • Easy To Make. It comes together in a pinch. The ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and stored separately until you’re ready to toss it all with the dressing (which can also be made a day or two in advance). 
  • Flavor. Our orzo pasta salad with feta has an delicious combination of flavors.

Greek Orzo Salad Recipe Ingredients

  • Orzo.  We use orzo pasta for this salad.  
  • Cucumber. We use Persian cucumbers for this salad. You could also use English cucumbers, but you may want to slice the rings in half. If you use garden cucumbers, you’ll want to peel them and scrape out the seeds with a spoon because they both can be bitter tasting. English cucumbers and Persian cucumbers have a light peel and few seeds, so we like to use either of them for salads. 
  • Tomatoes.  We add chopped cherry tomatoes to this salad, but you can use Roma tomatoes if you like. 
  • Red Onion. A little red onion adds a pop of flavor to the salad. If you want a more mellow onion taste, just soak the slices of onion in a little bowl filled with water for about 15 minutes. You can do this while the noodles cook. I like to add sliced onions rather than chopped onions to most of my salads. This is for people who may not like onions so it’s easier for them to pick out the onion in their serving.
  • Kalamata Olives.  We use kalamata olives for this salad.
  • Cheese. Use crumbled Feta cheese. If you’re not a fan of Feta, then use finely grated Parmesan cheese or omit the cheese altogethe.
  • Dressing. We use a simple homemade Greek dressing to toss this salad with. You could also use our Creamy Italian Dressing (which is another family favorite!). Double the batch if you want leftovers.
  • Season. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle in a pinch of red pepper flakes too if you like.
  • Dressing. We use a simple Greek vinaigrette for this salad.
Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Greek Orzo Salad in a bowl.

How To Make Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

  1. Cook Orzo.  Cook the orzo in a pot of salted water according to the directions on the package. 
  2. Make Dressing.  Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing.
  3. Prep Ingredients.  Slice and chop the cucumber, tomatoes, kalamata olives, onion and fresh herbs.
  4. Toss Ingredients.  After the orzo has cooled, toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl and drizzle the salad with just enough of dressing to lightly coat the ingredients.  Sprinkle in the Feta cheese and fresh herbs and toss again. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Greek Orzo Salad with grilled chicken breast.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, leftover Greek orzo pasta salad should last up 3-5 days. Toss leftovers with a little more dressing if needed.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad in a bowl.

More Pasta Salad Recipes

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad in a bowl.
Yield: 8 Servings

Greek Orzo Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

This Greek Orzo Pasta Salad recipe is made with orzo, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, fresh parsley, mint, and Feta cheese all tossed in a simple homemade Greek vinaigrette.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked orzo
  • 1 cup English or Persian cucumbers, finely chopped 
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup kalamata olives, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese, finely chopped or crumbled 
  • 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

For the Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated or minced
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan or Feta cheese
  • 1-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Pinch of black pepper or red pepper flake

Instructions

  1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the orzo pasta. Cook for about 9 minutes or until orzo is al dente according to the directions on the package. Strain in a fine mesh colander and run under cold water until the orzo is cooled. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
  2. In a large bowl combine the ingredients for the salad except the orzo. Add 1-1/2 to 2 cups cooled orzo to the bowl and toss. We start off by adding 1-1/2 cup and then add more until you have a good balance of orzo and vegetables.
  3. Drizzle the salad lightly with dressing and toss. 
  4. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
  5. Garnish with more Feta cheese and chopped herbs if you like.

For the Vinaigrette

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a wide mouth mason jar, seal the lid tightly and shake to blend. You can also use a stick blender (immersion blender) in the wide-mouth mason jar to blend the ingredients.
  2. Store the dressing in a mason jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, the dressing should last up to 5 days.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 233Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 294mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 9g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.

© Deborah Duncan
Cuisine: Mediterranean / Category: Salads