Mediterranean Orzo Salad is a delicious deli-style salad featuring fresh seasonal veggies and a lemon-herb vinaigrette. Made in minutes, it’s perfect for lunch, dinner, picnics, or parties- it’s time to get pumped about pasta salad again!
Much like Asian Ginger Broccoli Slaw or Chopped Chickpea Salad, Mediterranean Orzo Salad is one of those colorful medleys that I absolutely adore for picnics, potlucks, or hot sunny days.
This recipe boldly combines the season’s freshest veggies like cucumber and tomatoes with a briny, herby vinaigrette over a bed of orzo pasta.
And it all comes together in minutes! Prep this savory dish a day ahead. Stash it in the fridge and let the individual bold notes of flavor become a beautifully balanced symphony.
Ingredients and Notes
- Orzo. Tender and slippery, Orzo is a small pasta in the shape of large rice and can usually be found in the pasta or Italian section.
- Chicken Broth. I use this as a substitute for some of the water when boiling the orzo.
- Chopped Vegetables. A hearty mix of red onion, English cucumber, red bell pepper, cherry or grape tomatoes, garbanzo beans and kalamata olives. This recipe is super flexible and you can make additions or substitutions as you see fit.
- Toasted Almonds. Toasting brings out the flavor and adds a tasty little crunch.
- Feta Cheese. There are so many wonderful Mediterranean cheeses, but Feta lends it’s salty, crumbly texture to perfectly complement the other flavors and textures.
- A fresh vinaigrette. I include a easy to whip together recipe for an herby lemon-vinaigrette with pantry staples like basil, oregano, Dijon mustard, oil, and vinegar for this salad. It does have a touch of sugar, as stated above.
Note: Most authentic Mediterranean dishes don’t use sugar. However, Americans often add a touch of sweetness to balance the tangy vinaigrette flavor and I make it this way. You can do whichever option you like.
Common Pasta Salad Mistakes
For a comprehensive how-to see our recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Choosing the wrong type of pasta. Choose small dry pasta and avoid tubes that soak up excess dressing.
- Over cooking the pasta. Al dente or just until there is no crunch is best; the center should still be firm, but the exterior is tender. Also, the pasta needs to completely cool for the salad.
- Too many raw, chunky ingredients. Size raw vegetables for easy bites. Slice olives and halve grape or cherry tomatoes.
- Only seasoning at the end. Season as you go and again before serving.
- Too little dressing. If serving a little later, reserve about half the dressing to refresh before serving.
*Pro Tip: As written this is a large dinner size with about 10 cups. If you want a side dish size, halve the ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
Serve as a veg-forward meal; it’s light yet supremely satisfying all by its lonesome. Top with a piece of your favorite grilled chicken or grilled eggplant. Or serve it up as a side for One pot baked chicken and rice, pan seared pork chops, or Ham and Cheese Sliders.
Variations. Get creative and swap out or toss in other salad ingredients such as:
- Artichoke hearts
- Spinach
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Roasted peppers
- Grilled eggplant
- Grilled Chicken or Shrimp
Leftovers and Storage
Make Ahead. Orzo Pasta Salad can be made the day before serving. As it marinates, the pasta and other ingredients get time to absorb the vinaigrette. Reserve about half of the dressing to toss in right before serving.
Leftovers and storage. When stored in the fridge in a closed airtight container, this Mediterranean orzo salad will last 3 to 5 days. Keep in mind that if you sprinkle it with feta cheese, it shouldn’t sit out at room temperature longer than an hour.
FAQs
Named for its small “barley” size, Orzo is a type of pasta that looks like large rice but is actually pasta made from a whole grain, semolina, or white flour.
Orzo is a rice shaped pasta and should be located in the pasta section. However, I have on a rare occasion found it in the rice section, possibly due to a product stocker who was unfamiliar with it.
Orzo should never be rinsed after boiling. In fact, a cup of the starchy cooking water is often added to a sauce to perfect its consistency. Do stir while cooling to keep it from sticking together.
Because of the cucumbers and fresh tomatoes, I like to serve this salad when cool or just below room temperature.
Not Sure
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Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Ingredients
ORZO
- 2 cups Uncooked orzo pasta 12 ounces
- 4 cups Low sodium chicken broth or 2 cans, plus water according to package directions.
- ¼ teaspoon Salt & pepper
SALAD
- ½ cup Sliced Almonds
- ½ cup Red Onion diced
- 2 cups English Cucumber sliced and quartered
- 1 Red Bell Pepper chopped
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 15 oz. Canned Garbanzo Beans {chickpeas} drained and rinsed
- ½ cup Pitted Kalamata olives sliced or halved
- ¼ cup Parsley chopped, optional
- ½ cup Feta Cheese
DRESSING
- ⅓ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 teaspoon White Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper & Salt each
- 2 teaspoon Oregano or 2 tablespoon fresh herbs
- 2 teaspoon Dried Basil or 2 tablespoon fresh herbs
Instructions
- Make dressing by whisking all of the ingredients in a small bowl or shaking in a jar. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Boil orzo according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for some of the water. Boil until orzo is al dente, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain orzo and allow to cool. You might want to stir it occassionally to keep it from sticking together.
- Toast the almonds. Place sliced almonds in a dry skillet (no oil) over medium heat. Heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until fragrant and evenly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. The nuts can quickly burn so watch them carefully and remove immediately from the pan when finished.
- In a very large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients to the orzo followed by the dressing. Toss to coat.
- Taste and season with additional lemon juice or salt and pepper.
Stephanie says
Turned out great!
Melinda says
Delicious and easy! Made it for a picnic.
Chris says
Easy! I also subbed apple cider vinegar for the red wine vinegar and added a teaspoon of honey. Was great!
Kaitlyn says
Made this and it turned out great! Easy and light pasta summer dish.