Greek Orzo Salad

This Greek orzo pasta salad recipe is loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables, chickpeas, and kalamata olives in a lemony dressing. All these refreshing summer flavors taste like summer in a bowl.  

When the weather starts to warm up, I crave light summer salads. Since I love pasta but like to keep it light, I made a Greek orzo salad recipe with a Mediterranean flair today. Greek orzo pasta salad loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables with refreshing summer flavors tastes like summer in a bowl.   

Jump to:

• What is Orzo Pasta? 
• How to Cook Orzo
• Salad Ingredients
• Salad Ingredient Substitutions
• Greek Orzo Salad Dressing Ingredients
• Greek Orzo Salad Dressing Ingredient Substitutions
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Summer Vegan Salads to Enjoy! 
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

What is Orzo Pasta? 

Although orzo looks like rice, it is actually a rice-shaped pasta. Even though traditional orzo is not gluten-free, gluten-free orzo is currently available and works well with this recipe. For instance, Delallo makes a gluten-free, corn, and rice orzo, which is fabulous.  For this Greek orzo salad recipe, though, I used regular orzo, since it was all I could find during the pandemic. 

Unlike other pasta, orzo cooks incredibly fast, so the majority of the work for this salad is chopping the vegetables and preparing the quick and easy dressing.

How to Cook Orzo

1. Bring 4 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt to a rolling boil
2. Add 1 ½ cups or 8 ounces uncooked orzo, stir and bring to a boil again
3. Cover and reduce to simmer for 8 minutes
4. Remove the orzo from heat, pour into a colander, and immediately run cold water through the colander.
5. Drain completely and transfer cooled orzo into a bowl 

Salad Ingredients

• Orzo Pasta: Often mistaken for rice because of its shape, orzo is actually a type of pasta. Orzo falls into the category of small-shaped pasta known as "pastina." It's used widely in soups but also great for salads.
• English Cucumber: English cucumber has fewer seeds and is less watery than other cucumbers.
• Grape Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are sweet and the perfect bite-sized size for salads.
• Chickpeas: Chickpeas are crunchy and provide texture and protein in the Greek orzo salad recipe.
• Red Onion: Red onion is sweet and tangy and works well with the other ingredients in the salad.
• Dill: I prefer fresh dill whenever possible. It brings a freshness to the salad.
• Mint: Fresh mint adds even more flavor.
• Kalamata Olives: Kalamata olives are tangy and salty and deepen the flavors of the salad.
• Red Bell Pepper: Red bell peppers are sweet and beautiful in this salad.

Salad Ingredient Substitutions

• Like Orzo, ditalini is also considered a “patina” or “little pasta. This is my favorite substitute for orzo.
• Substitute Persian cucumbers, which are similar to English cucumbers.
• Cherry tomatoes work well in this Greek orzo salad recipe.
• White beans, such as Navy or Cannellini beans, are similar to chickpeas in size, texture, and flavor.
• Try green onion or shallots as a substitute for red onion.
• The general rule is to use half the amount of fresh herbs when using dried herbs instead of fresh ones.
• Black or green olives can replace kalamata olives.
• Try baby bell peppers instead of red bell pepper.

Greek Orzo Salad Dressing Ingredients

• Lemon Juice and Zest: Fresh lemon juice is the highlight of this oil-free dressing.
• Red Wine Vinegar: Very simply, red wine vinegar is fermented red wine. Bacteria and oxygen are added to red wine, turning it into acetic acid. This is what gives vinegar its tart flavor. Red wine vinegar is then diluted to contain about 5% acetic acid and water.
• Water: Water acts as an emulsifier in the absence of oil.
• Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard adds a sharp and tangy taste to the dressing.
• Garlic Powder: Garlic powder adds a deep flavor.
• Red Pepper Flakes: The main difference between chili and red pepper flakes is the core ingredient. While red pepper flakes are made using a variety of red peppers, red chili flakes are made with only chili peppers. Red chili flakes can be stored in larger quantities and have a long shelf life.
• Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is a blend of herbs present in Italian seasoning, usually consists of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram, with other herbs and spices, sometimes making an appearance
• Salt and Pepper to Taste: Add salt and pepper to meet personal preference.

Greek Orzo Salad Dressing Ingredient Substitutions

• Use bottled lemon juice when fresh juice isn't available. To substitute the lemon zest, add ½ teaspoon more lemon juice.
• Choose balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.
• Stone-ground mustard is similar to dijon mustard.
• Using minced garlic gives the same taste that you get with powdered garlic. While you cook the minced garlic, it provides a fresh and pleasing aroma that is unavailable with garlic powder.
• Cayenne pepper is similar to red pepper flakes; however, be cautious, as cayenne is much spicier than red pepper flakes.
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning = ½ teaspoon dried oregano and ½ teaspoon dried basil. 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning = ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon each dried basil and thyme.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• Generally, it is 1 cup of uncooked orzo to 2 cups of water or broth. There is typically liquid left over after cooking that must be drained before use.
• If there's ever been the need to cook pasta al dente, orzo makes the case because if it's overcooked, it turns to mush. Most brands say to cook the pasta for 9 to 10 minutes, but edit this back to about seven minutes and keep testing until it's barely done.
• Orzo pasta will clump if covered for more than 15 minutes; therefore, rise in cold water and make the salad immediately rather than cooking it beforehand.
• And for reference, one cup of dried orzo yields about two cups of cooked orzo.
• Contrary to popular myth, adding oil to the water does not stop the pasta from sticking together. The pasta will be slippery, so your delicious sauce will not stick. Instead, add salt to the pasta water when it comes to a boil and before you add the pasta.
• For another excellent dressing option, try citrus dressing for salads!

For a refreshing and quick meal, try this Greek orzo salad recipe!

Summer Vegan Salads to Enjoy! 

If you love this Greek orzo pasta salad recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

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