Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad

Name: Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 16 ounce box orzo pasta, cooked; 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered; 1 large red onion, diced; 1 large green bell pepper, diced; 1 medium cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces; ⅓ pound greek olives, halved or quartered; 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled; lemon herb salad dressing

Published: Feb 6, 2022 · Modified: Sep 13, 2022 by Emily · This post may contain affiliate links · 62 Comments

A bright, fresh, and delicious Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad that makes the perfect side dish or light meal. This dish is packed with fresh vegetables, orzo pasta, and topped off with a homemade lemon-herb dressing for the perfect Greek-inspired salad.

greek orzo salad in a bowl with greek dressing on the side

When I was working in retail one of my go-to meals was a Greek pasta salad at the mall. I knew once I left that job I would have to try and recreate the salad at home, and I finally nailed it. I love to make this salad in the summer when I have fresh vegetables from my garden, but it's also easy to make any time of year with basic ingredients.

The part of this recipe that took me a while to figure out was the dressing that pulls the whole thing together. I finally found a delicious combination of herbs, fresh lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil that not only works perfectly in this dish but is also just a great salad dressing to have in your arsenal. Check out my Lemon Herb Salad Dressing or find the link in the recipe card.

Ingredients Needed to Make Lemon Orzo Salad

Below is a photo of the salad ingredients as well as the Lemon Herb Salad Dressing ingredients. You really only need a handful of ingredients to make this orzo salad.

cherry tomatoes
red onion
green bell pepper
cucumber
greek olives
boxed orzo pasta
feta cheese
freshly squeezed lemon juice
dried oregano
garlic clove
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil

How to Make This Greek Lemon Orzo Salad Recipe

Cook the orzo pasta according to the box instructions. Give the pasta a quick rinse with cold water and set it aside.
Clean and cut the cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, cucumber, and greek olives.
If you haven't made or bought the dressing yet, make the lemon herb salad dressing.
In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta and all of the prepared vegetables. Pour in ¼ cup of the dressing and stir to combine. Continue to add the dressing to taste.
Pour in the crumbled feta cheese and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. Overnight is best to allow all of the flavors to blend together.

greek lemon salad dressing — lemon herb salad dressing

Substitutions and Variations to this Lemony Greek Pasta Salad

Although I highly recommend making your own dressing, you can use store-bought dressing and save yourself a step. And if you don't want the lemon flavor, you can use red wine or balsamic vinegar. Add to taste in place of the lemon juice.
If you don't have or like greek olives, you can use black olives.
Cherry tomatoes work so well in this salad because they are nice and sweet and the perfect size for slicing. But, you can also use any tomato and still have a delicious salad.
Orzo pasta works well in this dish because of its size. The small pasta makes it possible to get more of the other flavors in each bite. However, you can also make this with other types of pasta like bowtie or elbow to name a few.