This recipe for Mediterranean orzo salad is the perfect combination of mediterranean flavors. This is an amazing addition to any cookout, potluck or just to eat on its own.
This post is all about Mediterranean orzo salad!
Jump to RecipeThis recipe is inspired by the flavors of Greece, specifically a greek salad. But I’ve upped the game by adding in delicious orzo pasta. This small rice-like pasta is the perfect size for a pasta salad, ensuring that you get a taste of everything in each delicious bite.
There are truly a million ways to mix and match this recipe and have it be delicious, but here are the most essential parts: the orzo, feta cheese, pine nuts, cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, and the dressing!
The Pasta
For the orzo, just about any brand will do, just make sure that you follow the instructions on the box, because there may be some variation in cooking. And because the pasta will be served cold, you want to make sure that it is not too al dente, or when it cools it will become a little too toothsome. Also, make sure that you cook the pasta in well-salted water so that your pasta has lots of flavor! When it is done, drain it and mix in a little bit of olive oil to prevent sticking while it cools. I also HIGHLY recommend spreading the pasta on a cookie sheet, to create more surface area. More surface area = faster cooling! Let it cool completely before you add in any of the ingredients!
the Feta
There are so many options when it comes to feta. Often traditional Greek Feta is made with sheep or goat milk. But I much prefer cows milk feta, which is what most American brands will be made with. My personal favorite is President Feta, but truly any feta will do for this yummy Mediterranean orzo salad.
The Produce
For this orzo salad, there really are options when it comes to what you mix in. For the tomatoes, I recommend using sun-dried for a little extra sweetness. However, chopped grape tomatoes or even roasted grape tomatoes are also a yummy option. For the cucumber, I usually try to use English cucumbers, or remove the seeds of traditional cucumbers to get rid of some of the moisture that comes from the seeds. And for the basil, it NEEDS to be fresh basil. Dried basil is good for other dishes, but for this the fresh basil really adds that extra oomph.
The Nuts
While a little pricier, pine nuts truly bring this salad to the next level. They add a subtle crunch and earthiness to the salad. Be sure to lightly toast your pine nuts in a skillet, just until they become fragrant and get some color. Cool before adding as well.
The Dressing
This dressing is another part that can be catered to your taste, a little more of this, little more of that. But the essential elements are the red wine vinegar, good extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard and salt and pepper. Once these are all mixed together, they make the perfect combination to bring this pasta salad together.
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb Orzo
- 8 oz Feta crumbled
- 15-20 Basil Leaves fresh, chopped
- 8 oz Sun-dried Tomatoes or Grape Tomatoes chopped (drained if using sun-dried)
- 1 English Cucumber diced
- 1/3 cup Pinenuts toasted
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 Lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- Salt to taste
- Ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil salted water and cook orzo according to the label. Drain the pasta and toss in a tablespoon of olive oil to keep from clumping. Spread out on a cookie sheet to help the pasta cool faster. Set aside and let it cool completely.
- Dice/chop the cucumbers, tomatoes, feta and basil. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a pan over medium high heat. Watch them and stir to prevent burning. Once they begin to get fragrant and golden, remove from heat and cool.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice (watch for seeds), dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Once the pasta has cooled, mix in all the remaining ingredients and dress with the olive oil and vinegar mixture. Toss to combine.
- Refrigerate to let the flavors combine, then enjoy!
Enjoy!
This post is all about delicious Mediterranean orzo salad!
If you’re looking for other Mediterranean inspired dishes, check out my Tasty Tzatziki post! Or if you want to see more about the beautiful place that inspired this dish, check out my post about my Mykonos trip!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. But on Raleigh’s Day Off I always only recommend products I use and love.
