It’s summer time and this means that we all want to spent less time indoors cooking and more time enjoying the outdoors, whether in the city or wherever our summer plans take us. “Easy” during this season also guides us to wholesome salads and vegetable-centered dishes that require minimal cooking and are simple to pull together.
This Greek summer salad with orzo combines the assertive flavors of a delicious Greek salad and the comfort of creamy orzo. Delicious as lunch or a light dinner on its own and the perfect side dish to grilled fish or meat for a substantial dinner.
Ingredients you will need:
The list of ingredients for this Greek summer salad with orzo is surprisingly short: for the salad you will need the best ripe tomatoes you can find (my garden tomatoes have just started to turn red), crisp cucumber, sharp red onion, briny Kalamata olives, and of course, Greek Feta cheese. Orzo is the perfect match for this salad, but any short shaped pasta will do. Finally, a bright lemony dressing brings the whole dish together, but you could also use your favorite dressing.
Next time you make a Greek peasant salad, if you also happen to have any leftover orzo toss it together for the most perfect Greek summer salad!
How to make it:
- ½ lb. orzo pasta
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 small Persian cucumbers, skin on, chopped
- ¼ of small red onion, minced
- ½ tsp. dried Greek oregano
- 12 Kalamata olives, cut in quarters
- 5 oz. Greek Feta in block, cut in small cubes
- Lemon Dressing:
- 1 garlic clove, grated in the microplane
- ½ tsp. sea salt (or more)
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper
- ½ tsp. dried Greek oregano
- 3 TBSP. lemon juice
- 6 TBSP. extra virgin olive oil
- In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.
- Cook the orzo in plenty of boiling salted water for about 7 minutes or until tender. Do not overcook it. Drain well and transfer to a large salad bowl. Drizzle with a little of the dressing and toss to coat. Let it cool.
- Prep the vegetables and add them to the salad bowl. Add the olives and the Greek Feta cheese. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and toss gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve at room temperature.
You might also like to try these pasta salads this summer:
Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables:
Easy Antipasto Pasta Salad:
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[…] can also serve this meal with a simple green salad with a bright vinaigrette, an orzo summer salad, a Greek peasant salad, or, a Greek panzanella […]