This Greek orzo pasta salad is filled with fresh summer vegetables and tossed in a delicious lemon and herb vinaigrette. It's a perfect side dish for your next summer party!
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Why This Recipe Works
Some pasta salads can be heavy with creamy dressings or pasta that overpowers the vegetables. And while those can certainly be tasty, sometimes you want a lighter, more refreshing pasta salad.
Using orzo pasta in this Greek pasta salad lets all the delicious fresh veggies shine. And the bright and tangy lemon and herb vinaigrette brings it all together for a perfect light and fresh side dish for summer!
And for another light, refreshing Greek dish, be sure to check out my Greek cucumber salad.
Ingredient Notes
For this Greek orzo pasta salad, we will use traditional Greek salad vegetables, and I also like to add a variety of bell peppers for more color and extra veggies.
Feta cheese and olives add a briny saltiness to the dish. And the lemon vinaigrette helps to balance it all out with some acidity.
See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step By Step Instructions
- Prepare the orzo pasta to al dente as instructed on the package, then let it cool. While the pasta cools, dice the veggies and chop the parsley, then add to a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add the cooled pasta and the vinaigrette to the mixing bowl with the veggies and toss until well combined. Allow the pasta salad to rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, then toss before serving.
What to Serve with Orzo Pasta Salad
This orzo salad is perfect for an easy side dish with barbecue dishes like pulled pork and smoked ribs.
It's also awesome with my spinach and feta turkey burgers, chicken souvlaki, or lamb kebabs for a taste of the Mediterranean at your next cookout.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
This pasta salad is best the day of, but you can make it a day ahead if necessary. The veggies will just not be as crisp after sitting overnight in the vinaigrette. I would also recommend adding a little more of the dressing before serving since most of it will get soaked up by the pasta and veggies overnight.
Like most pasta salads, this one is pretty flexible. I like to use the traditional Greek salad mix of tomatoes, red onion, and cucumbers, but you can add almost anything to this dish. Chopped broccoli, zucchini, and squash are good options.
You can definitely use other types of pasta for this dish. Almost any type of small pasta will work, but penne, macaroni, or bow-tie pasta are some great choices.
More Greek Recipes
📖 Recipe
Greek Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, about 2 lemons
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
Pasta Salad
- 1 ¼ cups 8 oz dry orzo
- 1½ cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium English cucumber, chopped
- 2 cups mixed bell peppers, chopped
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup sliced kalamata olives, or ¾ cup sliced black olives
- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Vinaigrette
- Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until well combined.
Pasta Salad
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain and set aside to cool.
- While the pasta cools, chop all of the vegetables and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cooled pasta to the bowl of chopped vegetables then add the vinaigrette and toss until combined.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight, then toss again before serving.
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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