This Orzo Pasta Salad recipe is the perfect side dish or lunch! Bursting with flavor, it’s packed with fresh vegetables and feta cheese.
Need an easy side dish or lunch idea? This orzo pasta salad recipe it is full of flavor and is the perfect addition to any meal. It stars tender pasta grains with crunchy vegetables, salty feta cheese, fresh herbs, and a spicy vinaigrette dressing. The best part? Tastes great for days! Leftovers keep well in the fridge, so they’re also perfect for lunches throughout the week.
Ingredients in Orzo Pasta Salad
This orzo pasta salad recipe is easy to make – it’s all about cooking pasta, chopping veggies, and making a quick vinaigrette! The flavor profile has a Mediterranean or Greek vibe, full of fresh herbs, lemon, and olive oil. You can also add the vegetables that you like the most! This is what you will need for the base salad:
- orzo
- english cucumber
- Cherry tomatoes
- Shallot
- fresh oregano and parsley
- Lemon juice and lemon zest
- red wine vinegar
- Garlic powder, dried dill and salt
- Olive oil
- feta cheese crumbles
daggerboard types
Orzo is a small pasta that is shaped like grains of rice. known as resonance in Italy, it can be served in a variety of ways: as a side dish, pilaf, as part of an orzo salad, or in soups. There are various sizes of orzo available in stores; we prefer the medium grains which are about the size of grains of rice. You can also find different colors of orzo, such as tricolor orzo that is naturally colored with dried tomatoes and spinach.
Variations and mixes
This Orzo Pasta Salad is easily customizable based on the ingredients you have on hand or your taste preferences! It would be perfect with Kalamata olives as in a Greek pasta salad, or whatever veggie is hiding in your fridge. Here are some ideas to add to this orzo pasta salad:
- kalamata olives
- Red pepperdiced
- Roasted red pepper in jardiced
- Broccolicut into very small florets
- red onion slices
- Zucchiniin small dice
- spinach or kalechopped up
Orzo Pasta Salad Storage Information
This orzo pasta salad recipe tastes great the day it’s made, but stores great! You can also make it ahead of time and refrigerate it until serving time, or keep it refrigerated as a lunch idea to eat throughout the week. Here are some tips for storage:
- This orzo pasta salad lasts up to 5 days in the fridge.. It’s great for making healthy or make-ahead lunches throughout the week.
- Cool the flavors before serving. Bring the salad to room temperature. Then add a drizzle of olive oil and some more crumbled feta. May or may not need an extra pinch of salt.
Ways to serve it
Pasta salad recipes are fun and versatile – they work with just about anything! They’re great for a summer dinner with any grilled entree, or with fish, chicken, or vegetarian entrees. Or add pita bread for a light lunch! Here are some great ways to serve it:
More pasta salad recipes
Want more pasta salad ideas? There are so many recipes, from classics to pesto, shrimp, and more! Here are some of our best pasta salad recipes:
This orzo pasta salad recipe is…
Vegetarian.
Description
This Orzo Pasta Salad recipe is the perfect side dish or lunch! Bursting with flavor, it’s packed with fresh vegetables and feta cheese.
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta (about 8 ounce)
- 1/2 English cucumber, diced small (about 1 cup)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half (2 cups)
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (or ½ teaspoon dry)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, plus the zest of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup feta crumbles
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- Fill a medium pot with 10 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once it boils, add the orzo and stir. Bring the pot back to a boil, then boil for about 8 minutes until the orzo is tender. Place the orzo in a colander to drain, then rinse it under cold water until it comes to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, prepare the fresh vegetables and herbs as indicated on the ingredients list.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, red wine vinegar, garlic, garlic powder, dill, and kosher salt. Then mix in the olive oil.
- Once the orzo is done, add it to the large bowl of dressing and toss with the chopped vegetables and herbs. Add feta and fresh ground black pepper and stir to combine.
- Taste and add more salt to taste if needed. Serve immediately. Store up to 5 days refrigerated (leftovers taste great; let them come to room temperature and add a little more olive oil or a little more cheese or salt as needed).
- Category: Garrison
- Method: hundred guns
- Kitchen: Pasta salad
- Diet: Vegetarian
Keywords: Barley Pasta Salad, Barley Pasta Salad Recipe, Barley Salad
