Mediterranean Orzo Salad

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This vegetarian Mediterranean orzo pasta salad with crunchy vegetables and spinach, briny olives, and feta cheese makes a healthy, easy-to-make, meal-prepped meal or flavorful pasta salad side.

Mediterranean Orzo Salad - foodiecrush.com (1)

I LOVE any recipe that shines with Mediterranean flavors, and this orzo salad is just one example of that fact. Because if you’ve been a reader here for a while, or perused my recipe archives, you’ll see, Mediterranean recipes are very well represented. and I just can’t get enough, because when I make this pasta salad, I literally eat it all week long.

In This Post

Ever since the Mediterranean Diet was named best diet to follow in 2018 and 2019, Mediterranean recipes here on FoodieCrush have been some of the most searched of the year. And this vegetarian orzo salad served as a main meal or side pasta salad is a VERY good one to add to the ever-growing list.

This Mediterranean orzo salad is a little bit Greek, a little bit Italian, and every bit delicious.

What’s In this Mediterranean Orzo Salad

It’s time to skip the deli case and make this salad at home. This cold orzo pasta salad uses ingredients you can easily keep stocked in your fridge and pantry, especially if you’re into healthier eating.

Here’s what you’ll need for this orzo pasta salad:

Orzo pasta
Red bell pepper
Cucumber
Red onion
Castelvetrano green olives
Kalamata pitted olives
Baby spinach
Feta cheese
Canola oil
Olive oil
Lemons
Kosher and black pepper
Oregano

Orzo Salad Ingredient Substitutions

You can swap other Greek or Italian ingredients for those in the list above, like:

Artichoke hearts
Tomatoes or sun-dried tomatoes
Green peppers or roasted peppers
Avocado
Grilled eggplant
Garbanzo or cannellini beans
Arugula
Mediterranean marinated chicken
Grilled shrimp

How to Make This Orzo Pasta Salad

The heart of this pasta salad is the short orzo noodle. Always choose a high quality pasta, Italian-made DeLallo is my favorite. Be sure to cook the pasta al denté as it will absorb the dressing as it sits, and you don’t want the noodles to become mushy. Rinse and drain the pasta and make sure it’s cool before adding the other ingredients.

The Pasta Salad Dressing

There isn’t much to this dressing except for the glorious fact that It’s easy to make. But, if you have my Greek salad dressing in the fridge, feel free to use it instead.

I use a combination of extra virgin olive oil and canola oil for this recipe. The canola oil is milder than olive oil so the combination makes a mellower dressing that flavors but doesn’t take over.

Fresh lemon juice is always best, especially in this dressing. I used the juice of 1 lemon, but depending on how juicy yours are, add more to taste. To make your lemons more juicy, pop them in the microwave for 15 seconds.

I use dried oregano for that herby feeling, but feel free to try dried basil or Italian seasoning instead.

Make This Pasta Salad the Day Before

All of the ingredients in this pasta salad hold up well and develop even more flavor over time, making it a great pasta salad recipe to make ahead of time for meal prep, picnics, bbqs and parties.

This pasta salad can be made the day before serving and will last in the refrigerator for up to one week.

What Goes with Mediterranean Pasta Salad

The Best Greek Chicken Marinade
Mediterranean Grilled Pork Chops With Tomato Salad
Easy Chicken Gyros With Tzatziki Sauce
Mediterranean Grilled Balsamic Chicken With Olive Tapenade
Easy Greek Chicken Kebabs
Pork Souvlaki With Lemon Rice

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave arating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo andtag me on Instagramwith #foodiecrusheats.

Crunchy fresh vegetables and leafy spinach pair with orzo pasta and briny olives and feta cheese for an easy pasta salad perfect for meal prep or parties.

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Course Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword orzo salad

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 356kcal

Ingredients

16 ounces orzo
3 cups baby spinach leaves , gently torn into large pieces
1 ½ chopped red bell pepper , about one red bell pepper
1 cup cucumber , diced and seeded, about one medium
¾ cup red onion , diced
5 ounces Castelvetrano green olives , drained and halved
5 ounces Kalamata pitted olives , drained and halved
7 ounces feta cheese
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup olive oil
1 lemon , juiced
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil, season with salt, and cook the orzo for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse, and set aside to cool.
Transfer the cooled orzo to a large mixing bowl. Add the spinach, chopped vegetables, and olives, then crumble half of the feta cheese over the pasta.
In a small bowl, whisk the canola oil, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and salt and pepper until mixed. Pour the vinaigrette over the pasta mixture and gently fold until the pasta and veggies are coated. Taste for seasoning and top with the remaining feta cheese.
Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight before serving. The pasta is best within 2-3 days, but will last in the refrigerator up to 1 week.

Nutrition

More Pasta Salads to Make Now

Greek Pasta Salad With Cucumbers And Artichoke Hearts
Kale Caesar Pasta Salad
BLT Pasta Salad With Avocado
Creamy Tuscan Pasta Salad
Easy Italian Spaghetti Pasta Salad
30 Healthy Summer Potluck Salads

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