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Mediterranean Orzo Salad Recipe. Silky Orzo pasta, buttery salad, fresh onions, artichokes, cherry tomatoes, olives and creamy feta cheese make the BEST salad!
Mediterranean Orzo Salad Recipe
I am addicted to orzo pasta. Maybe it’s the shape or the texture?? I have an Orzo Artichoke Pasta Salad that I make all the time and I can’t get enough of it!
As I was buying ingredients to make it yet AGAIN, I decided to switch things up and make a Mediterranean version of this favorite salad. And I have to say that I love it.
Make Mediterranean Salad and Eat it All Week Long
And the best part of this salad? It gets better the longer you refrigerate it (up to a certain point of course LOL). I do like it even better the day after. It lets the juices settle in and it is even more flavorful!
Make Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Servings 8 -10 servings
Ingredients
- 1box of Orzo pastacook al dente
- 1/2cupextra-virgin olive oildivided
- 1medium red onionchopped
- 3garlic clovesminced
- 1.5pintsof cherry tomatoessliced in half
- 8oz.ex. small artichoke heartsyou can add these whole or cut them up
- 3TablespoonsCapersdrained
- 1/2-1cupof pitted Kalamata Olives
- 1teaspoonSea Salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper or lemon pepper is good tooto taste
- 1cupButter Lettucetorn (optional)
- 1/2cupFeta Cheese
- 1Large bunch of Basilchopped – reserve a few leaves to garnish the salad
- If you want to add protein — you can add some cooked and sliced chicken breast
Instructions
Cook Orzo according to directions
Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Pour the reserved liquid back in with the orzo. This liquid helps create a “sauce” when the other ingredients are added.
In large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook until the onion becomes transparent.
Then add garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
Add chicken if you are going to use it, artichoke hearts, capers and cook about 4-6 minutes — take off the heat.
Add pasta and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, tomatoes and basil, chopped.
Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Once cooled, add butter lettuce and garnish with basil.
Serve this dish warm, room temperature, or I even prefer it the next day straight out of the refrigerator. You can even add some chopped romaine lettuce to the salad once it’s cooled and it makes a wonderful green/pasta salad.
You can’t go wrong!!
And here’s a link to the other Orzo Pasta Salad that I love:
Orzo Pasta Salad
The original orzo pasta salad I make all the time at my house. It’s so good. You can make it and it refrigerates so well. I make a batch and eat it for lunch all week long!
Springtime Pasta Salad
FreshSpringtime Pasta Salad – the perfect salad to make for for BBQ’s or parties all spring and summer long. Pasta combined with different cheeses, fresh veggies and Italian dressing.
Have a wonderful day!
Let me know how this recipe goes for you — and if you’ve made any variations I’d love to try them!
xoxo
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Recipe Type: Salad
Cuisine: Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Author: Jennifer Hadfield
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 8-10 servings
It gets better the longer you refrigerate it. I do like it even better the day after. It lets the juices settle in and it is even more flavorful!
Ingredients
- 1 box of Orzo pasta, cook al dente
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1.5 pints of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 8 oz. ex. small artichoke hearts (you can add these whole or cut them up)
- 3 Tablespoons Capers, drained
- 1/2-1 cup of pitted Kalamata Olives
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper or lemon pepper is good too (to taste)
- 1 cup Butter Lettuce, torn (optional)
- 1/2 cup Feta Cheese
- 1 Large bunch of Basil, chopped – reserve a few leaves to garnish the salad
- If you want to add protein — you can add some cooked and sliced chicken breast
Instructions
- Cook Orzo according to directions
- Drain, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Pour the reserved liquid back in with the orzo. This liquid helps create a “sauce” when the other ingredients are added.
- In large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and cook until the onion becomes transparent.
- Then add garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add chicken if you are going to use it, artichoke hearts, capers and cook about 4-6 minutes — take off the heat.
- Add pasta and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, tomatoes and basil, chopped.
- Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Once cooled, add butter lettuce and garnish with basil.
- Serve this dish warm, room temperature, or I even prefer it the next day straight out of the refrigerator. You can even add some chopped romaine lettuce to the salad once it’s cooled and it makes a wonderful green/pasta salad.
