In this Greek orzo salad recipe, orzo pasta, tomatoes, chickpeas, veggies and fresh herbs are tossed in a delicious homemade dressing for healthy, flavorful side dish. Mediterranean orzo salad is a great dish for a pot luck or barbecue!
It's no secret that Mediterranean cuisine is my all time favorite. From homemade hummus to pita bread and of course, this Greek Orzo Salad, I could eat mediterranean fare every single day.
This mediterranean orzo salad recipe is fresh and light and bursting with flavor. Orzo pasta, tomatoes, chickpeas, veggies and fresh herbs are tossed in a delicious homemade dressing for healthy, flavorful side dish.
This Greek orzo salad is a great dish for a pot luck or barbecue, and to serve alongside our favorite dishes like Greek meatballs, hummus chicken, homemade tzatziki, etc.
Greek Orzo Salad Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Orzo. I have used whole wheat orzo with great results.
- Cucumber. I suggest using peeled cucumbers! You can remove the seeds to reduce water content as well.
- Red Onion. any onion variety works well in this recipe. I'd suggest a sweet white or yellow onion in place of the red if desired.
- Cherry Tomatoes. You can substitute any tomato variety including heirloom, Roma, etc.
- Chickpeas. You can use a different bean, if you'd like, or omit the chickpeas. Chickpeas are definitely my favorite choice. You can even roast them and use this crispy roasted chickpea recipe.
- Fresh Dill. Freeze-dried dill works well too.
- Kalamata Olives. You can substitute your favorite olive variety, but kalamatas give the most authentic Greek flavor.
- Feta Cheese. Goat cheese, parmesan cheese, etc. are good substitutes for feta.
- Olive oil. Avocado oil is a great substitute if you don't have olive oil.
- Red wine vinegar. white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar are great substitutes.
- Dijon mustard. Any mustard variety can be used in place of Dijon.
- Dried oregano. fresh oregano or your favorite Greek spice blend both work well in this recipe.
How to Make Greek Orzo Salad
This Greek orzo salad recipe is easy to make! We'll walk through the process step-by-step, and don't forget to watch the video.
Cook the orzo
The first step in making this Greek orzo salad is cooking the orzo. You can do this up to the day before and store it in the refrigerator so you can quickly make the salad on the day you'd like to serve it. I often cook it in the morning and let it cool until I'm ready to make the salad later in the day.
Begin by cooking the orzo in salted water according to the package instructions - which usually takes about 25 minutes.
When the orzo is finished cooking, drain and do not rinse.
While the orzo is cooking, make the dressing by whisking together the ingredients in a small bowl. Alternatively, you can add them in a glass jar and shake to combine.
Next, transfer the cooked orzo to a large bowl, add half the dressing and stir to combine.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator until it cools down to at least room temperature. You can stir it occasionally to help it cool faster.
Assemble the Greek orzo salad
Once the orzo has cooled, add the cucumber, onion, tomatoes, chickpeas, fresh dill, olives, feta cheese (save 1-2 tablespoons for the top), salt, pepper and the rest of the dressing.
Then, stir to combine the Greek orzo salad ingredients, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
Serve
Garnish with extra feta, fresh dill, olives, etc and serve cold.
Here are some suggestions of dishes that pair well with this Greek orzo salad:
- Greek meatballs and homemade tzatziki pair well with this recipe.
- Serve it alongside baked hummus chicken (made with homemade hummus, of course) or lemon chicken kabobs.
- Homemade pita bread or this naan recipe both are great served with this recipe.
Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing this recipe.
Recipe FAQs
No. Orzo is a pasta so it tastes like pasta.
One, 2 oz serving of orzo pasta contains 7 g protein, 2 g fiber, 2 g sugar, and 14 g total carbohydrates.
No. If you rinse the orzo it will soak in water and make it more difficult to absorb the dressing. So, leaving the orzo un-rinsed will ensure it absorbs the dressing very well.
Sometimes orzo is served warm, but in this Greek orzo salad it's best served cold.
No, I suggest replacing it with a different small pasta like macaroni, orecchiette, etc.
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Greek Orzo Salad Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups orzo dry/uncooked
- 5 quarts water + 2 TBS salt
- 1 cucumber peeled and diced
- ½ cup red onion finely diced
- 1 pint baby tomatoes halved
- 15 oz chickpeas drained and rinsed, about 1 ½ cups.
- 2 teaspoons fresh dill or 1 tsp freeze-dried.
- 6 oz kalamata olives drained and rinsed.
- 8 oz Feta cheese crumbled
Dressing:
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
Instructions
- Cook orzo in salted water according to package instructions.
- When orzo is finished cooking, drain and do not rinse.
- In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients
- Put cooked orzo in a large bowl, add half the dressing and stir to combine. Chill in the refrigerator until it cools down to at least room temperature.
- Once the orzo has cooled, add cucumber, onion, tomatoes, chickpeas, fresh dill, olives, feta cheese (save 1-2 TBS for the top), salt, pepper and the rest of the dressing. Stir to combine.
- Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Garnish with extra feta, fresh dill, olives, etc. and serve cold.
Video
Notes
- Orzo. I have used whole wheat orzo with great results.
- Red Onion. any onion variety works well in this recipe. I'd suggest a sweet white or yellow onion in place of the red if desired.
- Cherry Tomatoes. You can substitute any tomato variety including heirloom, Roma, etc.
- Chickpeas. You can use a different bean, if you'd like, or omit the chickpeas. Chickpeas are definitely my favorite choice. You can even roast them and use this crispy roasted chickpea recipe.
- Fresh Dill. Freeze-dried dill works well too.
- Kalamata Olives. You can substitute your favorite olive variety, but kalamatas give the most authentic Greek flavor.
- Feta Cheese. Goat cheese, parmesan cheese, etc. are good substitutes for feta.
- Olive oil. Avocado oil is a great substitute if you don't have olive oil.
- Red wine vinegar. white wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar are great substitutes.
- Dijon mustard. Any mustard variety can be used in place of Dijon.
- Dried oregano. fresh oregano or your favorite Greek spice blend both work well in this recipe.
Nutrition
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The photos in this post were taken by Nyssa from Nyssa's Kitchen.
Karin
I love this recipe—its become a staple dish in my home. However, since I live in Italy, I wasn’t thinking and I went to the supermarket and bought Italian orzo, which is barley in English. I’ve since made it with risoni (orzo pasta) and I actually like it better with barley!! I’m not sure I’d like it with farro as another reviewer suggested, as it’s quite dense and chewy. But the barley made for a very fortunate mistake!
Ali
This looks so good! Do you think, instead of the Orzo, that a grain like Farro would work? Or is it better to stick with the Orzo or another small pasta type? Thanks very much.
Laura
You could definitely try farro! If you do report back and let me know how it goes!
Tiffany
This was SO GOOD!!! Had everything but fresh dill (used dried) and I omitted olives since were not fans. Will definitely make again!!