This Mediterranean orzo salad is easy, fresh, healthy, and quick! It's bursting with fabulous Greek flavors and makes a nutritious side dish or light meal.
Love orzo in salads? Try my Lemon Orzo Salad with Chicken.
The best Greek orzo salad
This Greek orzo salad comes together fast, and the bold Mediterranean flavors make this the ultimate pasta salad! The best part is that it has simple-to-find fresh ingredients and a quick homemade Greek vinaigrette. It's very flexible, and you won't even have to measure after you've made it once or twice.
It's great for making ahead as well. Simply assemble the salad, portion it out, and you've got healthy lunches for a few days, or your picnic salad is ready to go! It's a great year-round salad as well since the veggies are generally available at the grocery store during colder months.
What goes into it
- Orzo - the heart of this pasta salad! Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta and has the perfect texture in every bite when cooked al dente
- Feta - any Greek salad needs feta, a creamy and slightly tangy cheese. Use the kind with cubes packed in oil and herbs or crumbled feta
- Red onion - this milder variety of onion has just the right amount of sharpness and adds a beautiful color to salads
- Tomatoes - grape or cherry tomatoes give juicy and sweet bursts of flavor, but you can cut up regular tomatoes if you prefer
- Cucumber - use mini (Persian) ones if you can find them, but English cucumber will also do just fine
- Kalamata olives - a cornerstone of Greek salad. The briny olives add so much delicious savory flavor. Buy the pitted ones to make prepping this salad a breeze!
- Oregano, red wine vinegar, & olive oil - the dream team that makes up the simple homemade Greek dressing
- Parsley - gives a pop of freshness to top it all off
Pro tip
- Make sure to adjust the oil and vinegar quantities to suit your tastes! It's also important to season this salad well since there's a fair bit of pasta in it.
How to make orzo salad
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the orzo, drain, and rinse with cold water. Cut up your veggies and prep all the other ingredients.
Once the orzo has cooled, add all the ingredients to a large bowl. Toss with the homemade dressing.
Substitutions and variations
- If you are not a fan of olives, you can leave them out.
- To make this salad vegan, don't include the feta, or replace it with a plant-based alternative.
- Other ingredients that would go great in this versatile salad are green or red bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach, and arugula!
- If you can't find red wine vinegar, sub in fresh lemon juice instead.
Leftovers and storage
- This pasta salad will last 3 to 5 days in the fridge, but keep in mind that orzo will soak up the dressing a bit.
- You may want to add a splash more oil and/or vinegar if you found it's gone a little dry.
What to serve with it
- Enjoy this salad with my Easiest Baked Chicken Thighs, some Homemade Tzatziki, or this deliciously crispy Saganaki (Greek Fried Cheese).
- If eating it as a main, a side of crusty bread would go well with it.
More Mediterranean-inspired recipes to try
Questions about this Mediterranean orzo pasta salad recipe? I'd love it if you left me a comment below!
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1-2 tablespoons red onion chopped
- 1 (10 ounce) package little tomatoes (grape or cherry) halved
- 3-4 mini cucumbers (or 1/2 English cucumber) chopped
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives pitted & halved
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cook orzo al dente according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Prep your other ingredients.
- Once the orzo has cooled, add all ingredients to a large bowl. I suggest starting with 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, tossing the salad, then adding more if needed. Garnish with fresh parsley if using.
Notes
- Serves 2-4 depending on how much people eat.
- Feel free to eyeball the ingredients such as the olives and onion.
- You can replace the red wine vinegar with fresh lemon juice if you prefer.
- Crumbled feta works but I've also used those little feta cubes packed in olive oil & fresh herbs.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on January 2, 2018. It's been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
Ashleigh says
I love this recipe so much! I also add some tuna to stretch it a little farther. My favorite thing to pack for lunch for work!
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that, Ashleigh! Adding tuna is a great idea!
K Nicholson says
I added some extra pickled items that I had on hand: cherry peppers (chopped & seeds removed), capers & pepperoncini. I added fine chopped colored bell peppers on hand (red yellow & orange / as recommended) and I had no parsley on hand, so I substituted some fresh cilantro. It was a perfectly mild herbal substitution. This salad is so great you can add or replace ingredients, as you like. It's also the perfect thing for clearing out old jars of pickled items from your fridge into a beautiful & bright salad. If you want to "cheat" you can also just dress it lightly with a ready-made Greek dressing. BEWARE TO GO EASY on the salt! I added salt to the pasta water & nothing else. The feta, olives, etc. add so much salt you don't need it. Dried Oregano & black pepper were so necessary. This was a perfect basic recipie!
Natasha says
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Sarah Harden says
I LOVE this recipe! It’s delicious and healthy - thanks for sharing!
Natasha says
You're very welcome, Sarah!
Doug says
This is another great salad on my favourite recipe site. Loads of potential for tweaking too. We love panzanella and will having that soon which I always make with fried halloumi to make a main meal. Thanks superb easy to follow as ever.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Doug!! 😀 I love panzanella too. So good with in-season summer tomatoes!
Lori says
I made this as a side dish for my sisters birthday party. It was a total hit! I used fresh mozzarella instead of feta since I had a bunch to use up. Thank you for your always amazing recipes!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! You're very welcome. 🙂
AngelaML says
Hi Natasha,
Just found this recipe now (via your newsletter!) and it looks delicious. However, I dislike the taste of Feta cheese. What would you recommend as a substitute? I realize you haven't personally switched it up, but if you had to guess? I like mozzarella, goat cheese, ricotta. Do you think any of those would work? Which texture would be a better match?
I also saw the comment for substituting with "Sheese" but unfortunately my local grocery store doesn't carry it.
I might wait until warmer weather to try it, but definitely have it added to my list of recipes to try!
Natasha says
Hi Angela!! I think goat cheese would work well! Mozzarella would be yummy too for a more mild flavor. Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Rachel says
Absolutely delightful! I added a can of garbanzo beans and we had it as our main course. Our 2 year old loved it too. Definitely going in our regular dinner rotation, thanks! 🙂
Natasha says
That's great to hear!! Thank you, Rachel! 🙂
Christelle says
Hot Weather call for a quick and easy recipe. This salad is fresh, crisp and delicious.
For a vegan alternative I used “Sheese Greek Style” to replace the Feta cheese and I added a little bit more oregano.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 And thanks for the tip on the feta replacement!
Kristina says
My husband and I really love this salad! It is filling and isn't heavy. Today is my second time making it. Thank you for the awesome and simple recipe!
Natasha says
You're very welcome, Kristina! 😀
Marie says
I made the recipe just as it’s listed and it was delicious. I have another great pasta dish
Natasha says
So happy to hear that!
Claire says
Wonderful recipe! My husband added avocado and red leaf lettuce to give it more of a salad-y feel, and it was so good. I would add a tad more orzo (1/2 cup?) if adding anything extra to the recipe. Thanks!
Natasha says
So glad you enjoyed it, Claire!
Kelley B says
Love love love this. I just amended it a little and added baby spinach. Thank you!!
Natasha says
You're very welcome! 🙂
Jill says
Would cilantro be good with this? In place of parsley?
Natasha says
I like cilantro, so I'd say yes! 🙂
Michelle says
Wonderful salad. Light and refreshing.
Natasha says
Very happy you liked it, Michelle! Thanks for letting me know!
Carla says
Lovely salad! Added cooked shrimp! Thanks for the recipe.
Natasha says
Yay! Thanks for letting me know!
del says
Sounds gr8 . here in Capetown we are sweating....high temps and salads like this are tops. Thnku....will try it shortly and rep ort back
.
Natasha says
Enjoy!!
amy says
I could eat the entire bowl in one sitting! This is one of my favorites.
Natasha says
Excellent! Thanks, Amy!