Orzo salad with feta and chickpeas is a Mediterranean-style vegetarian pasta salad. This picnic-perfect salad is packed with crunchy vegetables, creamy feta, and chickpeas, tossed in a simple homemade lemony dressing. This quick salad gets ready in just 20 minutes and is delicious!
Looking for easy yet delicious pasta salad recipes to try this summer? Try this Greek orzo salad with feta and chickpeas.
Bursting with flavors, this salad can be prepared in just 20 minutes from start to finish.
It's perfect for picnics and potlucks.
You can also enjoy this vegetarian orzo salad as a meal in itself.
What's orzo?
Orzo is a short-cut pasta that's shaped like rice grains. It's also known as risoni.
What's needed to make orzo feta salad?
To make Greek-style orzo pasta salad, you will need the ingredients shown below:
Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
- Orzo: Orzo is used to make this pasta salad. If you don't have that, use any other short-cut pasta to make this recipe.
- Chickpeas: I used home-cooked chickpeas as I prefer their taste. You can use canned chickpeas too. Rinse canned chickpeas before using. You can also use other beans of your choice like cannellini beans or kidney beans.
- Walnuts: Feel free to use any nut of choice like pine nuts or almonds.
- Dill: I love using fresh dill in my Greek salads, you can also use fresh parsley, basil, or cilantro.
- Feta cheese: Vegans may skip feta in this recipe. This salad tastes great even without feta.
- Italian seasoning: If you don't have mixed Italian seasoning, mix red chili flakes, dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Use this seasoning blend in the recipe.
- Sweetener: Adding a sweetener balances all the flavors of the salad. I have used maple syrup, you can also add honey, agave syrup, or brown sugar.
How to make (step by step process)?
Step 1: Cook orzo al dente as per the instructions given on its' packet.
Step 2: Strain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Allow the orzo to reach room temperature.
Step 3: Transfer to a large bowl.
Step 4: Prepare the salad dressing in a bowl by mixing lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, maple syrup, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning.
Step 5: Put all the ingredients in a bowl.
Step 6: Pour salad dressing.
Step 7: Gently toss.
Step 8: Add crumbled feta cheese before serving.
Your lemony Greek-style orzo salad with feta and chickpeas is ready to be enjoyed!
How to serve?
This Greek orzo feta salad can be served as a salad as well as a meal. It can be served warm or cold.
Some of the dishes that can be paired with it are gyros, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, grilled corn on the cob, sauteed green beans, sandwiches, burgers, and soup.
How to store the leftovers?
To store, refrigerate the leftover orzo salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe tips and tricks
- This salad can serve around 8 people if served as a side dish. However, if you want to have it as a meal then it will serve around 4-5 people.
- Cook orzo al dente. If you overcook the orzo, it will turn mushy in the salad.
- Allow the pasta to reach room temperature before adding the herbs and vegetables otherwise they will get cooked. However, don't let it get cold completely as orzo will absorb the flavors better when still warm.
- Add feta only before serving.
- Toss pasta gently otherwise, it will break.
- You can use any short pasta to make this recipe.
Frequently asked questions
No, orzo is not a grain, it's a type of short-cut pasta.
Yes, you can use any short-cut pasta to make this pasta.
More vegetarian Greek recipes
Looking for more easy vegetarian Greek recipes? Don't miss checking the following links:
More pasta salad recipes
If you liked this recipe and want to try more pasta salad recipes then do check out the following links:
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Recipe
Orzo salad with feta and chickpeas
Equipment
- 1 large pot for cooking orzo
- Strainer to strain cooked orzo
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups uncooked orzo around 250 grams
- 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas around 250 grams
- 1 medium-sized cucumber chopped
- ½ bell pepper chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into half
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup chopped dill
- ¼ cup sliced kalamata olives
- ¼ cup chopped walnut kernels
- Zest of one lemon
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup honey or any other sweetener can be used too.
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 teaspoons blend of dried oregano, basil, and red chili flakes mixed in equal proportion
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper adjust to taste
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Water to cook orzo
Instructions
- Put water and some salt in a large cooking pot. Boil. Add orzo to the boiling water and cook as per the instructions given on its packet. Strain cooked orzo and rinse with cold water.
- Prepare the salad dressing by mixing lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, maple syrup, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning in a bowl.
- Put cooked orzo into a large salad bowl.
- Add all the remaining ingredients except feta cheese.
- Pour salad dressing and gently toss.
- Add feta before serving and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- This salad can serve around 8 people if served as a side dish. However, if you want to have it as a meal then it will serve around 4-5 people.
- Cook orzo al dente. If you overcook the orzo, it will turn mushy in the salad.
- Allow the pasta to reach room temperature before adding the herbs and vegetables otherwise they will get cooked. However, don't let it get cold completely as orzo will absorb the flavors better when still warm.
- Add feta only before serving.
- Toss pasta gently otherwise, it will break.
- You can use any short pasta to make this recipe.
- More recipe-related tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.
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