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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

Published: Apr 26, 2021 · Modified: Jun 6, 2023 by Scott · This post may contain affiliate links.

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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!

Side angle view of a serving platter piled high with Greek orzo pasta salad.
Jump to:
  • Why This Recipe Works
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Step By Step Instructions
  • What to Serve with Orzo Pasta Salad
  • Recipe Tips and FAQs
  • More Greek Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • You May Also Like

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

The vegetables, cheese, and sauce for the pasta salad are shown set on a white countertop.

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

  1. 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.
  1. Whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl.
  1. 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

Can this be made ahead of time?

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.

Can I use other vegetables?

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.

Can I use other types of pasta?

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

  • A bowl of Greek salad topped with chicken meatballs and tzatziki sauce.
    Greek Chicken Meatballs
  • Quinoa Greek Salad
  • Grilled lamb kebabs served with warm pita bread, a bowl of fresh tzatziki sauce, and fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.
    Greek Yogurt Marinated Lamb Kebabs
  • chicken souvlaki pita
    Greek Chicken Souvlaki Kebabs

If you try this recipe, don't forget to leave a RATING or COMMENT below. I would love to hear from you!!! And FOLLOW me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest recipes!

📖 Recipe

Greek orzo pasta salad shown on a serving platter.

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad Recipe

This light and refreshing pasta salad is loaded with fresh vegetables and tossed in a bright lemon and herb vinaigrette. It's a perfect side dish for your next summer cookout!
Author: Scott
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 20 minutes mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 268kcal

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

Calories: 268kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 6gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 545mgPotassium: 139mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3g

* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Tried this recipe?Don't forget to leave a rating above and mention @disheswithdad or tag #disheswithdad on social media!

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Hello, I'm Scott! I'm a former professional cook and an experienced home cook. I created this space to share my favorite quick and easy, family-friendly recipes and hopefully inspire you to try some of them for yourself!

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