A gorgeous Greek Orzo Salad with feta cheese is truly the perfect lunch year-round. This Greek orzo pasta salad is made with a yummy homemade vinaigrette that really pulls this recipe together.
Orzo. Please tell my you love orzo! It’s one of our favorite noodles and we’re excited to bring you this Greek orzo salad today because it’s truly a Cheese Knees favorite!
Featured Cheese: Feta
It truly wouldn’t be a Cheese Knees recipe without a cheese highlight.
Today’s star if FETA CHEESE. We love feta in this salad because it really takes away the need to use salt and a lot of spices because of it’s natural saltiness.
This orzo salad calls for 8-oz. feta and we suggest buying block feta so that you can crumble it yourself. It’s juicer, fresher, and more fun that way!
What You Need for Greek Orzo Salad
This Greek orzo salad is so fresh and delicious. It’s made with tons of veggies and an easy salad dressing. Here’s what you need:
ingredients
- orzo
- English cucumbers
- cherry tomatoes
- salt
- red onion
- red pepper
- kalamata olives
- feta cheese
- fresh mint
- fresh parsley
How to Make Orzo
Did you know that orzo is actually a pasta?! Here’s a quick tutorial for how to make orzo on the stovetop:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, add orzo and cook for about 7-10 minutes or until al dente.
- Strain water from the orzo and set orzo aside.
Easy Instructions
Think Greek salad + orzo pasta. You really can’t go wrong! Here’s the run down:
- Marinate tomatoes and cucumbers in salt to extract excess moisture.
- Cook orzo pasta in boiling water for about 7-10 minutes, or until al dente.
- Mix together all ingredients for the salad.
- Drizzle on ingredients for salad dressing.
- Toss together and serve.
Simple Homemade Dressing
For this recipe, we wanted to keep the dressing extra simple and fresh. That’s why it’s made from a base of olive oil and lemon juice.
here’s what you need:
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- apple cider vinegar
- salt
- pepper
Don’t want to make your own homemade salad dressing? Feel free to use a store-bought Greek salad dressing or even a balsamic dressing would be good, too!
What to Serve with Greek Orzo Salad
Wondering what to make along-side your Greek orzo salad? Here are some ideas for you!
Storage
Store leftover Greek orzo pasta salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Greek Orzo Salad with Feta
Ingredients
Greek Orzo Salad
- 1 cup orzo uncooked
- 3 cups English cucumbers thinly sliced into half-moons (normal cucumber works too!)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 red onion finely sliced
- 1 large red pepper diced
- 1 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved
- 8 oz. block feta cheese crumbled
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint lightly packed
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Begin by placing cucumbers and cherry tomatoes in a bowl and sprinkling them with salt. Mix well and let them sit for at least 15 minutes to draw out excess liquid. Set aside.
- Next, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo until it is al dente.
- Strain the orzo, rinse with cold water, and set aside.
- While the cucumbers and tomatoes are soaking, add the red onion, red pepper, olives, feta, fresh mint, and fresh parsley in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Pour the cucumbers and tomatoes into a sieve and discard the excess liquid.
- Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, and orzo to the bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients and gently mix all of the ingredients together.
- Finally, add the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper to a small bowl and whisk them together.
- Pour the dressing over the orzo salad and mix until all of the ingredients are covered in dressing. Serve immediately.
