Greek Orzo Salad – Easy Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Feta & Olives

Our quick Greek Orzo Salad recipe is crafted to delight your taste buds with its vibrant flavours, colourful ingredients, and easy prep work. I adore this orzo pasta salad recipe for side dishes, weeknight dinners, light lunches, or summer entertaining when I need to feed a crowd. 

Fresh, zesty, and full of Mediterranean flavour, this Greek Orzo Salad is one of those recipes I keep coming back to. It’s easy enough for busy weeknights yet impressive enough for entertaining. 

When my daughter tells me this is one of her favourite pasta salad recipes, I know I’ve got something special on the table.

She even requested it for school lunch the next day! She won’t sugarcoat her opinion, so it truly makes my heart sing to have created a recipe she loves. 

My orzo salad isn’t complicated. It brings together all the fresh vibrant ingredients I love, much like our classic Greek Salad.

What sets my version apart from other orzo pasta salads is the perfectly balanced combination of tender orzo, crunchy vegetables, and my popular lemony-oregano dressing. The added lemon juice gives it a refreshing zing that really brightens the dish.

Every bite is vibrant and satisfying, the orzo provides a satisfying base, the vegetables add freshness and crunch, olives and feta bring depth and savouriness, and the dressing pulls everything together with earthy oregano notes – without ever overpowering the salad. 

I love that this salad can be made ahead and travels well. It’s reliable, crowd-friendly, and perfect for weeknight dinners, lunch boxes, or summer BBQ parties. 

It’s my go-to pasta salad because it works every time, even as a last minute side when extra friends pop in. Quick, versatile and full of flavour, my Greek orzo salad is always a winner. 

Is Orzo A Rice Or Pasta?

Despite its rice-like shape, orzo is a type of pasta. It is made from wheat semolina and is typically used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes. You may also see orzo called risoni and kritharáki. 

I love how versatile orzo is, plus so easy to cook! Orzo can be served in soups, salads, and as a side dish. Great pantry staple to store. 

If you like our Greek orzo pasta recipe, you might also want to try other orzo side dishes like Roasted Butternut Squash with Orzo and Risoni with Hot Smoked Salmon and Crab.

Recipe Overview

Flavour/Texture: The flavours are classic Mediterranean with refreshing combination of cucumber, tomato, bell peppers and red onion together with creamy feta. And orzo is the perfect vehicle to carry all this delicious freshness.

Ease: The only cooking involved is boiling the orzo, making it an easy option for busy weeknights. It is also fantastic for meal prep as more time allows the Mediterranean flavours to meld together. There is little to do when you are serving this salad.

Time: This is a super quick side dish to make. It really only takes as long as the pasta to cook to chop up the vegetables. Then toss together for a yummy delicious pasta salad for lunch, dinner, bbq or parties!

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

Orzo: Small, rice-shaped pasta that cooks quickly and provides a tender base for the salad.

Cucumbers: Crisp and refreshing, these cucumbers add a cool crunch to the mix.

Cherry tomatoes: I love cherry tomatoes in this recipe as it brings juicy texture and sweet flavours.

Baby bell peppers: Vibrant and crunchy, baby bell peppers add a subtle sweetness and a pop of colour.

Olives: The briny, salty flavour of black olives balances perfectly with the orzo, vegetables and feta.

Red onion: Red onion adds a punchy bite and balances the sweetness of the vegetables.

Feta: Creamy and tangy, feta cheese provides a rich, salty contrast to the fresh vegetables. I prefer Greek feta as it creates a delicious, crumbly texture when broken up.

Parsley: Fresh and aromatic, parsley enhances the orzo salad with its bright, herbaceous notes.

Olive oil: Always use a quality olive oil for the salad dressing for a luxurious mouthfeel.

Red wine vinegar: Tangy and slightly sweet, red wine vinegar adds a vibrant acidity to the dressing.

Lemon juice: To help brighten up the salad dressing, lemon juice adds a refreshing citrus note.

Dried oregano: Earthy and aromatic, dried oregano infuses the salad with classic Mediterranean flavours.

Garlic: Minced garlic adds a subtle punch of flavour to the oregano dressing.

Variations and Substitutions

Substitute for orzo: If you don’t have orzo, you can substitute with other small pasta shapes short macaroni, small seashells or even pearl couscous. 

Additional ingredients: This is a great recipe to throw in other vegetables and herbs that you might have in your fridge, like large bell peppers, chunky tomatoes, green onion, lentils, chickpeas, mint, dill, or basil.

For a complete meal, add extra protein like grilled chicken, salmon, shrimp or cannellini beans. 

Different variety of olives: I prefer small black kalamata olives but you can use green olives or have a mix of both green and black olives. 

Vegan option: Substitute the Greek feta for your favourite vegan feta cheese.

Alternative dressing: If you prefer a more tangy creamy salad, try our creamy mustard dressing or go a more classic Greek style, try our oregano vinaigrette. This would work well with this salad as well. 

How to Make Greek Orzo Salad

How to Make The Salad

Cook orzo pasta to al dente as per packaging. Let it cool down. Rinse under water quickly to stop the cooking process and help it cool down. This will also reduce any large clumps in the pasta. 

Chop vegetables and olives into smaller pieces.

Finely slice red onion.

Roughly chop parsley.

How to Make Oregano Lemon Dressing  

In a small bowl, add dressing ingredients and whisk until well combined.  

How to Assemble the Salad

In a large bowl, add chopped vegetables, cut olives and sliced red onion with orzo pasta. 

Dress salad with oregano lemon dressing and toss together. 

Add crumbled feta and chopped parsley.

Mix lightly to combine salad together. 

Serve.

How to Make This Salad Perfectly (Expert Tips)

Cook pasta until al dente: Do not overcook orzo pasta for the salad. I like my pasta salads to have a little bite but tender enough to absorb the salad dressing.

Rinse orzo under water: After cooking, rinse the orzo under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool it down quickly. This helps prevent it from becoming sticky and clumping together.

Chop vegetables into similar sizes: Chop the vegetables into similar sizes for consistent texture.

Make it ahead: this pasta salad tastes even better as it sits, allowing the flavours to meld together. So, I would say make it at least an hour ahead. The orzo will absorb the oregano lemon dressing and carry the delicious flavours.

Crumble the feta: I prefer to crumble the feta in orzo salad, like our chickpea salad, so the creamy flavours can coat the pasta well.

Season the salad well: Don’t be shy with the seasoning. Be sure to season well with salt and pepper.

More Salads and Side with Pasta