Description
This Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette is filled with tender orzo, crisp veggies, fresh parsley, tangy feta and briny olives, all tossed with a 6-ingredient lemon dressing.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 English cucumber, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 small red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 small red onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 3/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
For the lemon vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large lemon, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again. Set aside to fully cool.
- Add the vinaigrette ingredients to a jar with a lid. Seal and shake until combined.
- In a large bowl, add the orzo and remaining salad ingredients. Pour the vinaigrette over the top and toss to combine.
- Chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
Notes
- Rinse the orzo with cold water after cooking it. This will cool it down fast and help prevent it from clumping. If it’s clumpy, just stir in a little olive oil to help break it apart.
- Some lemons are juicier than others. You may need more than one lemon to get 1/4 cup of lemon juice for the vinaigrette.
- The vinaigrette is tangy. If it’s too tangy for you, just add a little more honey.
- Taste the salad before adding any salt. While the vinaigrette doesn’t have a lot of salt in it, the olives and feta are salty.
- For the best flavor, chill the salad in the fridge for a few hours before serving.
