• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Unpeeled Journal logo

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Soup, Salad, Snacks
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Dessert + Baking
    • Holidays
    • Vegetarian + Vegan
    • Beverages
    • Easy
    • Recipe Collections
  • Features
    • Articles
    • Profiles
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellness
    • Food Travel Guides
    • Book Club
  • Cooking School
    • Cooking Technique
    • Baking + Pastry Technique
    • Wine Class
    • Better Know a Food
  • The Food + Grief Project
  • About
Home / Recipes / Greek Orzo Feta Pasta Salad

Jump to Recipe

Greek Orzo Feta Pasta Salad

Share
Pin25
Tweet
Email
Print

It’s all Greek to me.

This easy Greek orzo pasta salad with feta recipe makes a perfect side dish for summer — though I’d also gladly serve it as a main course, all year ’round. 

Meet this orzo pasta salad with feta recipe

Once upon a time — specifically, the 1980s — humble orzo pasta was “a Thing.” And then orzo kinda went off the radar. But like most trends (molten chocolate lava cake, sun-dried tomatoes, wide-leg pants), what goes around comes around.

And I say that orzo deserves to be back and better than ever.

This easy Greek orzo pasta salad with feta recipe makes a perfect side dish for summer — though it’s also great as a main course and all year. Best at room temperature, this pasta combines tomato, lots of fresh herbs, seasoning, and briny crumbled feta for the ultimate easy orzo dish.

summer orzo pasta salad ingredients

What is orzo? A pasta or rice?

Orzo may look like a grain, but orzo is a type of small, oval-shaped pasta. Orzo is not rice. Orzo is made with wheat flour (unless you’ve found a gluten-free version, of course) into a shape that resembles fat, long-grain rice.

How do you cook orzo?

Orzo cooks like any other pasta. You cook orzo by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. Then, add the pasta to the pot, and give it a good stir. Orzo takes about 8 to 10 minutes to cook. You’ll know orzo is cooked to al dente when you can bite through it easily, but is neither mushy and soft nor hard.

bowl of orzo pasta with feta tomato and herbs

Greek Orzo Salad Recipe With Feta Ingredients

This easy orzo pasta salad recipe requires only a few, easily-available ingredients but delivers a big punch of fresh flavor. You will need the following ingredients:

  • Orzo pasta (of course)
  • Olive oil
  • Onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • Garlic
  • Cumin powder
  • Crushed tomato
  • Lemon juice
  • Fresh dill and parsley
  • Feta cheese, preferably Greek

Orzo Pasta Salad With Feta Recipe Steps

The recipe starts with a simple tomato sauce with tomato, onion, salt, garlic, cumin, and a bit of water.

  1. Cook the tomato sauce for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. While the tomato sauce cooks, cook the pasta. Drain, then toss with olive oil.
  3. Combine the tomato sauce, half of the herbs, and half of the feta to the orzo. Stir to combine.
  4. Spoon the orzo onto a serving platter. Top with the remaining herbs, feta, and lemon juice.

orzo pasta salad feta recipe

Orzo Pasta Salad With Feta Recipe Tips

This orzo feta pasta salad recipe is very low maintenance. The main things you want to do to get it right are:

  • Cook the pasta correctly to al dente
  • Cook the tomato sauce down until it is no longer watery. Season it well.
  • Be generous with your fresh herbs. You can add some mint as well.
  • Use a high-quality feta cheese. Instead of pre-crumbled, try to find a block of Greek feta in brine, then break it into crumbles yourself.

In about 20 minutes, you will have this lovely summer side dish full of fresh Mediterranean flavor.

orzo pasta salad feta recipe

Love this easy orzo salad recipe? Check out these other easy pasta salads and dishes:

  • Feta Pasta With Creamy Yogurt Sauce
  • Chicken Zucchini Pasta With Mint
  • Chinese Peanut Sesame Takeout Noodles
orzo pasta salad feta recipe
Print Recipe

Orzo Pasta Salad With Feta

This Greek inspired orzo pasta salad recipe uses feta, tomato, and herbs to achieve an easy Mediterranean orzo side dish that's a perfect spring and summer salad.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Course: dinner, lunch
Cuisine: American, Greek, Mediterranean
Keywords:: easy orzo pasta salad recipe feta, orzo pasta salad, orzo pasta salad feta, summer side dish, vegetarian
Servings: 6 people or so as a side

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces orzo pasta
  • 3 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, diced small
  • 1 14-ounce can no-salt crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste (I use Diamond Crystal)
  • 24 turns fresh-cracked black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons fresh minced dill, divided
  • 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley, divided
  • 6 ounces good-quality Greek feta in brine, drained and broken into crumbles
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced

Instructions

  • Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the orzo pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (between 8 and 10 minutes). Drain, then pour the orzo into a large mixing bowl. Toss the orzo with a tablespoon or so of olive oil to prevent clumping.
  • While the pasta cooks, heat a wide-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil, onion, crushed tomato, garlic, cumin powder, salt (you may want to add less, then adjust later), pepper, and a glug of water used to swish out the tomato can. Stir.
  • Bring the tomato sauce to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced into a nice sauce, about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
    PRO TIP: If your sauce tastes a bit acidic, stir in a pinch of sugar.
  • Add the tomato sauce into the bowl of orzo, along with half of the dill, parsley, and feta. Toss to combine.
  • Spoon the tomato and orzo onto a serving platter or bowl. Top with the lemon juice and remaining feta and fresh herbs. Serve at room temperature.

Filed Under: Dinner, Easter, Easy, Holidays, Mother's Day, Recipes, Soup, Salad, Snacks, Summer BBQ, Vegetarian + Vegan Tagged With: 4th of july, easy, feta, greek, healthy, Mediterran, orzo, pasta, pasta salad, salad, side dish, spring, summer, tomato, vegetarian

Sign Up for the Weekly Newsletter

Never miss a recipe.

More from Unpeeled

John F. Kennedy’s Buttermilk Waffles

John F. Kennedy’s Buttermilk Waffles

Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes With Blueberry Syrup

Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes With Blueberry Syrup

Italian Artichoke Casserole

Italian Artichoke Casserole

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Priscilla Taub says

    June 18, 2022 at 2:46 pm

    5 stars
    I have made this about 3 times since you published this recipe. It is a no favorite staple in our house and I love the subtle addition of cumin and of course the dill. I added a little more olive oil. Highly recommend.

    Reply

Share your comment here: Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Unpeeled

A celebration of cooking, baking, and food. Learn More


Popular Posts

myka meier white suit headshot
3 baguette sandwiches jambon beurre goat cheese pan bagnant on paper mat lunch ideas
Native American Recipe for Wild Rice and Sweet Potato Sauté
asparagus crumbled egg crumbled bacon chives on marble
baked and decorated mixed berry poundcake on plate
How to Make Homemade Breadcrumbs: Basic Recipes

Your inbox is hungry! Get the weekly newsletter.

Footer

About Unpeeled

Unpeeled offers trusted recipes, cooking and baking techniques, travel guides, profiles of women in food -- plus more.

Features

  • Articles
  • Profiles
  • Taste Tests
  • Food Writing Roundups

Cooking School

  • Cooking Technique
  • Baking + Pastry Technique
  • Wine Class

Information

  • About & Contact
  • F.A.Q.s
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Copyright © 2022 Unpeeled Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Soup, Salad, Snacks
    • Dinner
    • Sides
    • Dessert + Baking
    • Holidays
    • Vegetarian + Vegan
    • Beverages
    • Easy
    • Recipe Collections
  • Features
    • Articles
    • Profiles
    • Taste Tests
    • Food Writing Roundups
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellness
    • Food Travel Guides
    • Book Club
  • Cooking School
    • Cooking Technique
    • Baking + Pastry Technique
    • Wine Class
    • Better Know a Food
  • The Food + Grief Project
    • Food That Heal
    • F+G Articles, Interviews, Essays
  • About
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter