Orzo Salad

This Orzo Salad recipe is an easy Mediterranean salad made with orzo pasta, chickpeas, veggies, herbs, feta cheese, and an easy Greek-style vinaigrette, topped with toasted pine nuts. This orzo pasta salad recipe makes the perfect meal prep lunch or dinner.

 

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

When it comes to freshness, nothing beats a great salad! We’re big salad fans here at The Busy Baker and this Orzo Pasta Salad recipe is one of our favourite salads to enjoy that’s a meal all on its own! It’s packed with cooked orzo pasta, chickpeas, fresh veggies, olives, feta cheese, fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts. If you love Mediterranean food even a little bit, you’re going to LOVE this Greek Orzo Salad recipe!

Orzo is a variety of pasta that is often mistaken for a grain because of its rice-like shape. If you’ve perused your grocery store’s pasta aisle recently you might have seen it – it’s a kind of short-cut pasta that looks a lot like rice! It’s a variety of pasta that we love because it’s super versatile, it’s easy to cook, and it’s great for soaking up the flavour of whatever you’re cooking. Commonly used in Italian and Mediterranean dishes, it’s made from semolina flour which gives it a firm texture that holds up really well during cooking and gives it a nice chewy texture once cooked.

Cooking Orzo is really easy and similar to preparing other types of pasta. We cook it in boiling water that’s been seasoned with salt and cook it until it is al dente, which typically takes about 8-10 minutes, depending on the brand of Orzo you use (follow the instructions on the package!). The key when cooking orzo is to stir it occasionally to prevent it from clumping up and sticking together and to ensure even cooking. Once it’s done, we drain it and then use it in whatever recipe we’re making. It can even be made ahead of time (think: meal prep!), tossed with a little bit of olive oil, and stored in the fridge in an airtight container to use throughout the week. We love serving it in soups and stews where it soaks up the broth, and we also enjoy it cold in salads.

When not overcooked, orzo keeps its texture and shape without becoming mushy, which is absolutely essential for dishes like this Mediterranean Orzo Salad. It can even be used in place of rice for a unique take on a veggie pilaf, it can be added to casseroles, or served as a bed for sautéed meats and veggies in whatever sauce you like.

Salad is our jam and there are SO many reasons why we LOVE this Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad!

1. It’s HEALTHY. Any salad packed with veggies, lean protein and healthy fats is a healthy choice in our book! We love all the healthy ingredients packed into this salad, and we know you will too!
2. It’s FRESH. There’s nothing like fresh, local produce and this salad is teeming with juicy tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, sharp onions, and out-of-this-world fresh herbs.
3. It’s great for MEAL PREP. It keeps in the fridge for days, and the flavours even intensify over time so it tastes just as good, if not better, the second day. It’s the perfect grab and go lunch for work or school and it comes together fast on a meal prep day.
4. It’s packed with PROTEIN. We’re always trying to add more plant based protein to our diet and adding chickpeas to this salad is a quick and easy way to get in some extra protein. It also means you don’t have to add anything extra to this salad to make it a complete meal.
5. It’s VERSATILE. Not a fan of tomatoes? Add another ingredient instead! Can’t get your hands on fresh herbs? Use dried ones instead. This salad can easily be customized to whatever ingredients you happen to have on hand and it’ll taste just as good.

Do you love Mediterranean food as much as we do? Here’s a list of some of our absolute favourite Mediterranean-style dishes we make on repeat in The Busy Baker kitchen!

• Easy Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
• Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken
• Quick and Easy Greek Salad
• Easy Homemade Tzatziki
• Low Carb Italian Chopped Salad
• Rustic Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
• Quick and Easy Pasta al Limone
• Greek-Style Pork Souvlaki Skewers
• Greek Turkey Meatballs
• Greek Couscous Salad Lunch Bowls

Here’s how we make this Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad recipe SO delicious!

Making the dressing first and refrigerating it while you prepare the rest of the ingredients will allow the flavours in the dressing time to develop, giving the salad a much better flavour. Even better – make the dressing the day before and store it in the fridge until it’s time to dress the salad!

The fresher the produce, the better this salad will taste, so be sure to use the freshest and ripest tomatoes and cucumbers you can find!

Salting the liquid in which you’ll cook the orzo adds a ton of flavour to this dish, so don’t skip this step! Even though some of the cooking liquid is stock, adding more salt is still a good idea. Not all the salt is absorbed by the orzo, but it still creates a ton of flavour.

Be sure to follow the instructions on the package and cook just until al dente. Overcooked orzo can have trouble keeping its shape and you definitely want it to be a little on the firmer side (not mushy) when making orzo salad.

Be sure to rinse the Orzo after cooking in cold water. This stops the cooking process and helps prevent the Orzo from clumping up and sticking together.

Toasting the pine nuts IS an added step, but it’s one that’s totally worth it. Be sure to toast them over low to medium heat and don’t let them develop too much colour. Keep them moving and let them brown just slightly. The crunch texture they’ll add to the salad is amazing!

When making salads like this (without greens) we ALWAYS let the flavours meld in the fridge for at least an hour or two before serving. The flavours intensify when you let the salad sit for awhile and it’s even better the next day!

Here’s the basic kitchen equipment you’ll need to make this Greek Orzo Salad Recipe (paid links):

• mixing bowls
• large knife
• Cutting Board
• mason jar or salad dressing shaker
• serving bowl
• Garlic Press
• Large Pot
• colander
• measuring cups and spoons

Here’s a list of ingredients you’ll need to make this Mediterranean Orzo Salad recipe (paid links):

FOR THE SALAD

• 8 ounces orzo
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 medium cucumber
• 8-10 ounces cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes sliced in half
• 15 ounces canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives pitted
• 1 medium red onion diced
• 2/3 cup feta cheese crumbled
• a big handful of fresh basil chopped
• a small handful of fresh parsley chopped

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 clove garlic very finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Feel like trying something new? Here’s a list of interesting, flavourful variations on this Greek orzo pasta salad recipe!

1. Middle Eastern Style: Add fresh mint and fresh basil, add some chopped red peppers, and throw together a garlic yogurt dressing instead of the vinaigrette. Skip the Orzo and use cooked farro or bulgur instead.
2. Italian Style: Skip the chickpeas and feta and add some fresh white beans, mozzarella, arugula, and Italian vinaigrette dressing.
3. Seafood: Add some fresh spinach and cocktail shrimp instead of the chickpeas.
4. As a Side Dish: Skip the chickpeas if you’re already grilling chicken and serve it as a side dish alongside your protein off the grill.

We hope you love this delicious orzo pasta salad as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite meal prep lunch recipe? We’d love to know!

• Caprese Salad
• Tabbouleh Salad (Tabouli)
• Watermelon Salad
• Fruit Salad
• Olive Garden Salad
• Kale Salad with Butternut Squash
• Crunchy Broccoli Salad
• Panzanella Salad
• Halloumi Salad
• Asian Cucumber Salad with Carrots