Spring has sprung and it’s time to eat everything green, like this Greek Orzo Salad! Don’t get me wrong, I love winter comfort food, but it’s definitely time to get back into lighter fare for spring and summer. This orzo salad was absolutely amazing for dinner and made me forget that it’s still going to snow at least one more time this spring, because I live in Alberta.
How to Make an Orzo Salad
Using orzo in a salad is super easy! All you have to do is replace the pasta that you usually use in your favorite pasta salad recipe and replace it with orzo.
- Cook the orzo according to the package directions
- Drain and cool the orzo
- Toss with your favorite salad ingredients and dressing
What is Orzo?
Orzo is actually pasta, not rice as one might believe from the size and shape of it. Orzo is a small, flat-disk pasta that does resemble arborio rice, so it’s an easy mistake to make. Orzo is also known as “risoni”, so if you see that name on a package it’s the same thing, although orzo can be slightly larger than risoni.
How do I Cook Orzo?
It is a little different to cook than other kinds of pasta simply because it’s so small, you would think it cooks for less time. Nope! Orzo needs around 10 minutes of cooking time and should be treated like any other pasta when cooking. Salted water was brought to a boil, then rinsed at the end in cold water to stop the cooking process. Not only that, you need to rinse the starches off the orzo since it’s going into a cold salad.
Tips & Tricks for Making the Best Greek Orzo Salad
- Like most pasta salads, this Greek Orzo Salad is eaten cold and needs to be refrigerated.
- Don’t make this a day ahead of time, no matter how tempting it is. The tomatoes will weep and make for a soggy salad. This is best made the morning of, perhaps even an hour or two before serving.
- You CAN make the orzo ahead of time, prepare it, and then toss it with some olive oil and refrigerate. This is a great tip for busy moms! Make everything ahead of time, even slicing the vegetables, and refrigerate. The tomatoes will actually drain in the container in the fridge, making it less soggy. You just have to wait to combine the ingredients.
- You can substitute in more of any one vegetable that you see fit. I like a ton of cucumbers in everything that I eat!
- Make sure to rinse the orzo well in cold water right after cooking. The starches left on it after boiling will absolutely affect the texture of the salad.
Are you looking for some other great salad recipes? Try these:
- Fast & Easy Greek Pasta Salad
- Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Classic Retro Picnic Macaroni Salad
- Traditional Caprese Salad
Happy cooking! Who else is thrilled that spring is finally here?
Love,
Karlynn
Greek Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 (12-14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained well and chopped
- 1 large tomato drained, seeded and chopped
- 1 English cucumber seeded and chopped
- 1 purple/red onion chopped
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Greek Vinaigrette
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice to your taste
- 1-2 teaspoons Greek Seasoning
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Add in the orzo and cook until al dente, around 8-10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and rinse the starches off. Once drained well, place in a large serving bowl.
- Add in the artichoke hearts, tomato, cucumber, onion, feta, olives and parsley.
- Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients, then pour over the salad.
- Toss the ingredients until coated, then chill for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sheila W. says
Made this recipe, and even my husband loved it . My niece asked if there were any leftovers so she could take home, there was only a cup or so and she took it. I was thrilled she liked it so much.
Janice Vitali says
please let me know what Greek seasoning is
really want to make this salad
thanks
Sheila says
I made this and OMG,it was soooo good. Definitely making again. Even my hubs liked it and he’s not crazy about artichokes but loved the salad!
John says
What is Greek seasoning? Can’t say I have heard of it , can I substitute something else ?
Ken Easterling says
This salad is top notch! I kept the tomatoes until ready to serve and since there are only two of us, I put the extra tomatoes in a Lock n Lock and put them in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. Thank you for the recipe.
Judy says
This looks delicious! I love Greek salad and this is a nice twist. I am going to buy the ingredients to make it this weekend.