Easy Greek Orzo Salad

4.93 from 14 votes

Greek orzo pasta salad recipe is loaded with fresh, crunchy vegetables, with an oil-free lemony dressing. All these refreshing summer flavors taste like summer in a bowl.

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time18

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Diet: Diabetic, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 297kcal

Author: Kathy Carmichael

Ingredients

Greek Orzo Salad

8 ounces dried orzo pasta cooked according to package instructions
½ English cucumber diced
1 cup grape tomatoes cut in halves
15 ounces chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 small red onion diced (yield ¼ cup)
⅛ cup chopped fresh dill
⅛ cup fresh mint chopped
½ cup diced kalamata olives
½ red bell pepper diced

Oil-Free Greek Orzo Salad Dressing

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus the zest of ½ lemon
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup water
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cooking Orzo Pasta

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

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad Dressing

Whisk the ingredients together.
If eating immediately, pour all the dressing over the top, and stir.
If you plan to eat the Greek orzo pasta later, only add half the dressing; add the rest and stir right before serving.
The salad will last for 4 days, dressed in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

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.

Nutrition