Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives
This Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives is the perfect side dish or even main dish for a light lunch or a quick dinner. The fresh flavors of sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, creamy feta cheese, whole wheat orzo, and a lemony vinaigrette make for a hearty pasta salad you will look forward to all morning!
I love pasta salad! There are so many ways you can jazz it up and create different flavor combinations to keep it from getting boring (such as this Pesto Orzo Pasta Salad).
I came up with this easy orzo salad recipe as I was doing meal prep for lunches throughout the week and it was so good I had to share the recipe. It’s a great side dish or even a main course topped with grilled fish or chicken. This recipe also happens to be vegetarian! Let’s make it!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase any of the items linked in this post, I should earn a small commission. This creates no additional cost to you and helps support the work that goes into running The Fig Jar. Thank you! -Becky
A Word About Lemons
While any fresh lemons will work for this recipe, an amazing lemon can make the difference between a good recipe and an excellent one. My mom has a lemon tree in her backyard with big, juicy lemons this time of year. Whenever I visit, I grab a good handful.
If you don’t have access to a lemon tree, I suggest finding a source for high-quality lemons, such as a farmer’s market. Because of the quality of lemons on my mom’s tree, I have been able to make things like the best lemon bars and lemon shortbread cookies even better.
Ingredients
Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives
The add-ins for this pasta salad are simple but they pack in bold Mediterranean flavors. It’s perfect to pack in your lunch bag for a weekday lunch or as a light dinner with grilled chicken or fish.
Pasta salad ingredients
- Orzo pasta: I use whole wheat orzo because it’s just healthier – more fiber, more nutrients!
- Canned artichoke hearts
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Fresh parsley
- Kalamata olives
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Lemon zest
Simple lemon vinaigrette ingredients
- Avocado oil
- Fresh lemon juice
- Red wine vinegar
- Garlic powder
- Honey
- Salt and pepper
Where can I find orzo pasta?
Orzo can be found at nearly any grocery store in the pasta aisle. You can also find good quality, organic whole wheat orzo on Amazon!
How to make this Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives
- Cook the orzo according to package directions.
- While the orzo cooks, combine the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked orzo, artichokes, olives, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, and lemon zest, and add the dressing.
- Enjoy!
Tips for making this Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta
Aside from including lots of flavorful add-ins, it’s all about the pasta!
- Cook the pasta until al dente, according to package directions, but add about 1 tbsp of salt to the cooking water before adding the orzo pasta.
- Make sure not to overcook the pasta! The pasta will soak up the dressing liquid as it hangs out in the fridge and you don’t want it to get soggy.
- Also make sure to rinse the pasta with cold water using a colander to stop the cooking process as soon as the pasta is done cooking. This also helps keep the pasta from getting gummy.
- If you plan to serve this for a crowd, try to make it at least an hour ahead of time to allow the pasta to start soaking in all that good flavor. Waiting until the next day would give you the best flavor as it will have plenty of time to sit and marry up. Just before you serve, add a drizzle of olive oil to the salad to bring back any of the moisture that was lost while in the fridge and to make re-combining it easier. This salad tastes great chilled but is still very enjoyable at room temperature.
Additions and Substitutions
This salad is perfect as-is, but if you’d like to add even more flavor, these would be great additions:
- chopped, fresh veggies such as red onion, red bell pepper or crisp cucumbers
- chopped baby spinach
- fresh basil, mint, or other fresh herbs
- crushed black pepper
- pine nuts, roasted pepitas, chopped walnuts or other nuts
If you don’t have sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes will work (but they won’t punch through the bright flavors of the lemon and olives). I know that avocado oil may not be as “Greek” as olive oil. However, I’ve compared avocado oil with extra virgin olive oil in several different salad recipes and have found that avocado oil has a much milder flavor than olive oil. Olive oil tends to add a significant bitterness to salad dressings that avocado oil just doesn’t. This being said, if you have olive oil and not avocado oil, don’t let that stop you from making this recipe! The bold flavors should help to mask that bitter olive oil taste.
Storage Instructions
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing this salad.
Some More of my Favorite Recipes with Pasta
Tried this Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta recipe?
If you try this Lemon Orzo Salad recipe, please consider leaving a comment/star rating below and let me know how it went. I’d love to hear from you! You can also connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.
PrintGreek Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta and Kalamata Olives
Bold flavors like feta, sun-dried tomato, kalamata olives and lemon make this pasta salad anything but boring.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Main Course, Salad
Ingredients
Pasta salad
- 8 oz orzo pasta (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 cup canned artichoke hearts (chopped)
- 1/3 cup kalamata olives (chopped)
- 1 cup fresh parsley (measured, then chopped)
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (diced)
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
- zest of one lemon
Dressing
- 2/3 cup avocado oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to package directions. Add about 1 tbsp of salt to the cooking water before adding the orzo pasta. Rinse with cool water after cooking to bring to room temperature.
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.
- Then combine the cooked orzo, artichokes, olives, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, feta, lemon zest and add the dressing.
- Enjoy! Store in an air-tight contained in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Love this recipe!! It was so easy and delicious. Made it for a family get together, everyone loved it and there were no leftovers! Will definitely be making this regularly!!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that!