Mediterranean Orzo Salad

About this Recipe

This orzo salad is packed with vibrant colours, fresh flavours and wholesome ingredients making it the perfect dish for any occasion. From a light and refreshing lunch, a side dish or a potluck or a healthy meal prep salad, this recipe has got you covered.

The dish is not only delicious but also easy to make (just 20 minutes) and versatile. You can serve it cold in the summer or warm it up during the colder months. It’s also vegan and can be made gluten-free and oil-free to suit your dietary needs.

The recipe features orzo pasta, fresh vegetables and a zesty homemade lemon dressing that brings it all together, and if you love this combo, you’ll also want to try this Lemon Garlic Orzo with Roasted Vegetables.

If you have extra orzo, this Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup is also amazing!

If you’re serving it as a side dish, it pairs well with something like my chickpea veggie burger, beet burger, falafel, lemon roasted potatoes or marinated tempeh. If you’re serving it as a main dish, I’d suggest pairing it with your choice of protein. It’s also yummy with a big scoop of hummus and some fresh pita.

Let’s get into the ingredients you’ll need, substitutions and variations, how to make the salad and helpful tips for making it a success.

When you’re ready to make the recipe, you’ll find the complete and printable recipe card at the end of the post with everything you need to do so.

Ingredient Notes

Complete list of ingredients with amounts and full instructions is located in the recipe card below.

• Orzo: Any brand of orzo works though note that sometimes it contains egg so be sure to read the label if you need the recipe to be vegan or egg-free.
• Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are suggested though any fresh tomato works.
• Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are suitable but you could also cook your own from scratch.
• Onion: The recipe calls for red onion but you could substitute shallot.
• Olives: The recipe calls for black olives but kalamata olives would work well as a substitute.
• Olive Oil: The olive oil is optional but suggested for the lemon vinaigrette. You can omit it if you need the recipe to be oil-free.

Additions

Other ingredients that can be substituted or added are:

• bell peppers
• artichoke hearts
• roasted red peppers
• zucchini
• sun-dried tomatoes
• spinach
• roasted eggplant

If you’re meal planning, recipes that use similar ingredients to this one are my lentil kale salad, Mediterranean farro salad, hummus bowls and Mediterranean stuffed peppers.

For more meal prep-friendly salads, check out this edamame quinoa salad, butternut squash quinoa salad, harvest bowls and roasted cauliflower salad.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Quick Note: If you plan to make the tofu feta, I’d suggest making it the day or a few hours before for the most flavour.

If you’re short on time, 30 minutes is fine too so no worries if you didn’t plan ahead! It’s an optional ingredient either way.

Store-bought vegan feta works too!

Prepare the orzo according to package instructions, which should go something like this:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Add the orzo and cook for 5-6 minutes until al dente then strain.
• For this recipe, rinse the orzo under cold water until cool.

Quick Tips: For orzo success, be sure to use a large pot to the pasta has room to move around and cook evenly, generously salt the cooking water to help season the orzo, cook the orzo al dente to avoid a mushy salad, drain and rinse the orzo thoroughly.

While the orzo is cooking, chop all the veggies and add them to a large mixing or salad bowl with the chickpeas. You’ll need:

• cherry or grape tomatoes
• garlic
• cucumber
• red onion
• chickpeas

Other veggies that would work well here are eggplant, spinach, bell pepper, zucchini and artichoke hearts.

Whisk the dressing ingredient together in a bowl This includes the lemon and lemon zest, dried herbs and olive oil, if using.

Can I make it without oil? Sure! I don’t use much oil in my kitchen but I love the olive oil in this recipe. It’s only 2 tbsp for the whole recipe so it’s not much. However, if you’d like the recipe to be oil-free, it’s totally ok to omit it.

Add the cooked, cooled orzo and dressing to the veggies and chickpeas and mix well.

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