Greek Lemon Orzo Salad {with Olives, Cucumbers, & Feta}

Name: Greek Lemon Orzo Salad {with Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta}
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 8 oz Uncooked Orzo (2 cups cooked); 3/4 cup Kalamata Olives, Pitted and quartered; 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese; 1/2 English Cucumber; 3 Scallions; 1/4 cup Cilantro (You can substitute parsley); 1/4 cup Mayonnaise; 1 tsp Honey; 1 Lemon; 1 clove Garlic, minced; 1 tsp Dijon Mustard; 1/4 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper (or to taste)

Pin384

Share10

394 Shares

Jump to Recipe

This Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, Feta, and creamy lemon dressing is easy, great for meal prep and so delicious!

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese in a bowl with lemon on side. It's mixed with a creamy lemon dressing that's bright and light!

This is a recipe to make you go weak in the knees. My Greek Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese is seduction in a bowl! Yes, I have been seduced and believe me, you will be too. It’s creamy, tangy, crunchy, salty, fresh, bright, and irresistibly delicious. The base here is Orzo, which is the perfect size and texture. Cucumber brings a cool refreshing crunch. The kalamata olives and feta bring the saltiness and tang that keep you coming back for more…and more…and more. All of this goodness is combined with a creamy lemon dressing that’s bright and light!

Serve this Greek Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad with my Ground Chicken Greek Meatballs!

This is a super easy recipe to make anytime because most of the ingredients come right out of your pantry or freezer! Click here to get more pantry dinner ideas and Pantry Must-Haves for Quick & Easy Dinners!

Spoon with scoop of Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese in a bowl with lemon on side. It's mixed with a creamy lemon dressing that's bright and light!

Cold Salads are EASY Meal Prep

Meal Prep with all the identical containers so perfectly organized.

Do you look at this and think, “beautiful! But it ain’t gonna happen in my house”? Well, if you have kids and are making family dinners, of course it’s not gonna happen!

Thats where making one big bowl of something, whether its a soup, a stew, a casserole, or a salad, can make all the difference. You can make one bowl that everyone can serve themselves from.

Or you can make one bowl for YOU for lunches throughout the week. Here are some other favorite cold salad ideas for meal prep:

Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.

Simple Ingredients and Swaps for Greek Orzo Salad

Salad

Uncooked Orzo – Orzo is a tiny pasta that almost looks like rice. It is a pasta, however. You can substitute any short-cut pasta you want. Fusilli, penne, or bowties are frequently used in pasta salads. You can even use cheese tortellini. Basically, you want a pasta that you can pick up with the other ingredients.
Kalamata Olives, Pitted and quartered – Olives add the wonderful salt and brine that is needed in a Greek salad and plays so wonderfully with the lemon. You can sub in green olives, capers.
Crumbled Feta Cheese – Feta is the other salty element to this recipe. If you don’t have feta, you can swap in ricotta salata, parmesan slices, goat cheese, or mozzarella.
English Cucumber – I love english cucumbers because the skin is delicate and can be eaten. That means less work to peel it and more vitamins and nutrients from the skin. Of course, you can use regular cucumbers. Just be sure to peel them before cutting and adding to the salad.
Scallions – Scallions, or green onions, are a mild onion flavor rather than harsh. You can swap in chives or red onions.
Fresh Cilantro – You can substitute parsley.

Lemon Dressing

Mayonnaise – The dressing is best with some fat to help it come together. I love mayonnaise, but you can also use plain greek yogurt or even extra virgin olive oil.
Honey – You need a bit of sweet to balance the acid in this dressing. You can substitute in granulated sugar.
Fresh Lemon – For the fresh lemon juice, you can substitute in lime or white wine vinegar if you don’t have lemon. If you don’t have lemon zest, you can leave it out.
Clove Garlic, minced – you can substitute in granulated, powder, or flakes of garlic.
Dijon Mustard – You can use yellow mustard in a pinch.

No Special Equipment for Lemon Orzo Salad

Nothing special for this one! Just medium pot for boiling the Orzo.

And mincing garlic is made super easy with a Garlic Press.

Prep Steps for Greek Lemon Orzo Salad

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)

For this easy lemon orzo pasta salad recipe, you can prep the entire salad ahead! It will last 5-6 days in your fridge so you can enjoy it all week long!

Start by cooking your Orzo until al dente, then strain and rinse it with cold water. Store in the fridge until ready to mix.

While the pasta is cooking, prep the other ingredients: Slice your cucumber, pit and quarter your olives, slice the scallions, chop the cilantro, crumble Feta. Note: You can substitute parsley in for the cilantro, but I love the bright flavor that cilantro brings to this salad!

Once the pasta is cooled in a large bowl, add the cucumbers, olives, scallions, and feta. I like to leave the cilantro out until the end.

Cucumber, Kalamata Olives, Feta Cheese, Scallions, and orzo all separate in bowl for Greek Orzo Salad.

PREP THE LEMON DRESSING

In a small mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper.

Zest entire Lemon, then cut in half. Add the zest and juice from half of the lemon to the dressing.

Zesting Lemon over bowl for Greek Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese.

MIX & SERVE YOUR GREEK ORZO SALAD

Mix the dressing and then add it to the orzo salad. Fold gently to completely combine. Last fold in the fresh cilantro, saving some for garnish if you want.

Ingredients in bowl for Lemon dressing for Greek Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese.

Pouring dressing over Greek Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese. It's mixed with a creamy lemon dressing that's bright and light!

Cilantro added to Greek Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese. It's mixed with a creamy lemon dressing that's bright and light!

Serve with cilantro garnish. This will last 5 days in the fridge!

ENJOY! 😍 Carrie

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad FAQs

What other pasta shapes can I use in this recipe?

I love Orzo because it’s such a small shape and size, so the dressing easily coats each and every piece. Also the small shape allows the other ingredients to really stand out. However, if you don’t have Orzo, you can use another small cut pasta, such as Fusilli, Rotini, Ditalini, Pene, or similar.

Can I use something other than Pasta in this Greek Salad?

You could use quinoa, rice, farro, or any other hearty grain you like! If you want to skip the carbs all together, you could add in kale or other greens. You could also make this into a meal by adding a protein such as chopped chicken breast or tuna or chickpeas.

Can I add meat to this pasta salad?

You can add meat or seafood to this salad to make it a complete meal. Grilled chicken sliced thin would be delicious. You can also add in grilled shrimp or flank steak.

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese in a bowl with spoon on side. It's mixed with a creamy lemon dressing that's bright and light!

5 from 1 vote

Greek Lemon Orzo Salad {with Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta}

This Greek Lemon Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, and Feta Cheese will make you go weak in the knees! It's creamy, tangy, crunchy, salty, fresh, bright, and delicious. It starts with Orzo pasta. Cucumber brings a cool refreshing crunch. The kalamata olives and feta bring the saltiness and tang. All of this goodness is combined with a creamy lemon dressing that's bright and light! #greeksalad #orzosalad #pastasalad #picnicfood #summerrecipes #grillingsides #easysalads

Course pasta, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek

Keyword feta, kalamata olives, meatless, orzo, vegetarian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 244 kcal

Author Carrie Tyler

Ingredients

Salad

8 oz Uncooked Orzo 2 cups cooked
¾ cup Kalamata Olives, Pitted and quartered
½ cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
½ English Cucumber
3 Scallions
¼ cup Cilantro You can substitute parsley

Lemon Dressing

¼ cup Mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Honey
1 Lemon
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
¼ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper (or to taste)

Instructions

Prep Ahead Ingredients

Boil a medium pot of water for the Orzo pasta. Once the pasta water is boiling, add a pinch of salt. Add the Orzo and stir. Boil the Orzo until al dente, about 5-8 minutes. Strain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Store in the fridge until ready to mix.
While the pasta is cooking, prep the other ingredients: Wash your English cucumber and then slice in half lengthwise. Cut each half in half again lengthwise so it's now quartered. Slice into ¼ inch thick slices.
If your Olives are not pitted and quartered, do that now.
Slice the scallions. Chop the cilantro. Crumble Feta if not already done.
Once the pasta is cooled in a large bowl, add the cucumbers, olives, scallions, and feta. I like to leave the cilantro out until the end and fold it in after the dressing.

Prep Ahead Lemon Dressing

In a small mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise, dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper.
Zest entire Lemon, then cut in half. Add the zest and juice from half of the lemon to the dressing.

Mix and Serve!

Mix the dressing and then add it to the orzo salad. Fold gently to completely combine. Serve with cilantro garnish. This will last 5 days in the fridge!

Recipe Notes

Substitutes for Orzo: You can use another small cut pasta, such as Fusilli, Rotini, Ditalini, Pene, or similar. You could also use quinoa, rice, farro, or any other hearty grain you like.
Gluten and Grain Free Orzo Substitutes: If you want to skip the carbs all together, you could add in kale or other greens. You can add meat or seafood to this salad to make it a complete meal. Grilled chicken sliced thin would be delicious. You can also add in grilled shrimp, tuna, or flank steak.