Orzo Salad with Tomatoes, Basil and Feta
This light and refreshing orzo salad with tomatoes, basil and feta is the perfect side dish (and can even serve as a main dish!). Simple and delicious!
All this talk of summer coming to a close and autumn nearly being upon us? Rubbish!
It’s barely past mid-August and already everyone’s in a tizzy over warm, comfort food and hoodies and pumpkin cookies and plaid backpacks.
Not that I have anything against those things, but all I’m saying is: bring on the simple summer meals while I still can.
Know what I mean?
Of course, when I discovered this recipe, I happened to live in the land where winter-lasts-for-nine-months so you can’t blame me too harshly for hanging on to the warmth and all that comes with it as long as I can.
I’ll probably still be wearing flip flops come November.
This light and refreshing orzo salad is the perfect summer dinner to me.
I served it alongside one of our favorite marinated and grilled chicken recipes and the combination was absolutely killer.
The flavors are amazing – everything from fresh tomatoes to creamy feta. Fragrant basil to toasted pine nuts.
It’s salads like this that make me forget to act like a lady (you know, racing everyone for the last remnants in the bowl and maybe, but not officially confirmed, throwing an elbow while I’m at it, just to get the last of this orzo salad).
A perfect way to use up those garden fresh tomatoes, this orzo salad is packed with all the flavors I love.
Plus, it’s really simple to make and tastes (and looks!) like a million bucks.
That’s a winner in my book.
Long live summer meals! (Thanks, Jennifer, for the orzo salad recipe!)
One Year Ago: Greek Chicken Pita Pockets {Slow Cooker}
Two Years Ago: The Best Zucchini Bread
Three Years Ago: Butter and Garlic Shrimp Penne
Fast and Fresh Orzo Salad with Tomatoes, Basil and Feta
Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ⅓ cup olive oil
Salad:
- 12 ounces orzo pasta
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 tablespoons thinly sliced chives or green onions
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 cup arugula or baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup pine nuts, toasted (heat them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, tossing often until golden)
Instructions
- For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey and oil. Season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.
- For the salad, cook the orzo in the chicken broth until tender according to package directions. Drain well but do not rinse. Let the pasta cool to room temperature, tossing often so it doesn’t stick together (stir in 1-2 tablespoons of the dressing if the pasta is overly sticky). Toss the cooled pasta with the tomatoes, chives or green onions, basil, and arugula or spinach.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and stir to coat the ingredients with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Sprinkle the feta and pine nuts over the top and toss lightly. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Jennifer J., an awesome MKC reader who sent me some fabulous recipes (decreased olive oil by a bit, altered orzo amounts so it wasn’t too heavy on the noodles, and a few other minor changes) – thanks, Jennifer!
94 Comments on “Orzo Salad with Tomatoes, Basil and Feta”
Thank you! I love this salad! It is my favorite way to use all the cherry tomatoes in my garden. I made it as written the first time but now add a clove or two of garlic to the dressing. Always a favorite!
I love this salad! It is my favorite way to use all the cherry tomatoes in my garden. I made it as written the first time but now add a clove or two of garlic to the dressing. Always a favorite!
For the cherry tomatoes, is the amount two cups halved or two cups whole?
Two cups cherry tomatoes measured and then cut in half.
Whole family loves this one! We substitute goat cheese for feta and add shrimp and arugula- delish!
This is my fave recipe of all. Time.
Made this tonight as a side to grilled bbq chicken and steamed broccoli. I even forgot to add the feta and it was still amazing!!! Family approved!
I appreciate that you cited someone as having sent you this recipe, but she failed to tell you that it is almost identical to Giada’s recipe from 2006…you might want to be careful of plagiarism. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/orzo-with-tomatoes-feta-and-green-onions-234414
Delicious. I halved it because there were just 2 of us. Going into the pot luck routine to have an excuse to make an entire batch and share with friends. So good.
Every time I make this salad it is a huge hit. It is so fresh. Love It!
This was SO delicious!! Oh my goodness, probably the best salad ever!
I’ve made this several times now and everyone raves about it! It’s just then perfect summer side dish and the toasted pine nuts really set it over the top. I always add extra spinach to “bulk” it up but otherwise I follow your recipe exactly. I just wanted to let you know how much I’ve enjoyed this. Thank you for sharing!
So happy to hear this! Thank you!
Dear Mel — thank you for all the wonderful recipes! I am looking forward to making this one.
Question — for those of us dinosaurs who still print recipes and put them in a physical binder, could you try to fit the recipe and instructions on a single page? I realize that’s not always possible, but in this one, and in others I’ve seen, there’s such a tiny bit on the second page of the PDF — really not worth the paper to print it.
Maybe the ingredients could be listed in 2 columns? If you put them in a table everything would stay in place, regardless of how many different components — like this one has vinaigrette ingredients and salad ingredients. Or however it works.
Don’t mean to sound ungrateful — I sure can continue to print the first page and handwrite the “extras” at the bottom to avoid printing that second page. But just thought I’d ask.
Long comment. Thanks for all you do. You are an amazing inspiration to us and have brought us to new heights in cooking and baking. Thank you, thank you.
Thanks for the feedback, Joan! I still print a lot of recipes, too, so I completely understand! I actually have been changing and reformatting the print function to be a bit more user friendly, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get all my recipes to fit on one page. I’ll try my best! Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks so much for providing a link to this one, in one of your most recent posts. I love how you do that! I had all the stuff on hand except arugula, which I went out and bought just so I could make the salad. So delicious! My husband loves orzo, and my kids love tomatoes and basil, and I love arugula. So, this was a win/win salad all around! Loved it!! I made a little bit of extra dressing, as you suggested. It was perfect!
Thanks, Kamber!
Thank you Mel for the delicious staple in every summer dinner we have! It’s hands down the best pasta salad out there! SORRY I FORGOT TO RATE
Thank you Mel for the delicious staple in every summer dinner we have! It’s hands down the best pasta salad out there!
Great salad. I left out the onions since I was making for someone who can’t eat them.
Love, love, love this salad! I made it for a party and it was a hit! I had so many people ask me for the recipe 🙂 I made the pasta and the dressing the night before and threw all the rest of it together a couple of hours before the party started. It was so easy and refreshing, I will definitely be making this again and again!
Very easy! Extremely fresh tasting! Not a boring ol’ pasta salad! Will make many more times for sure!
Really enjoyed this salad and taken to a few potluck dinner lately. Everyone enjoyed it.
This is my favorite summer pasta salad to make .. easier and fresh.. and so delicious.. a new family favorite ..
Thanks for the review. This is one of my family’s faves as well!
Very easy to make and super tasty!!!
I made this on a whim this week for a family BBQ because it sounded delicious. It did not disappoint!! So delicious and my entire family loved it!
I can always count on your recipes coming through for me in a pinch!
I don’t love Red Wine Vinegar so I used white balsamic (leftover from another recipe of yours I believe!) and it was delicious.
That was meant to be 5 Stars!
Thanks, Lindsey! And I think I can fix that star rating issue for you.
SO Good!! Everyone loved it!!
Thank YOU!
i made this tonight – minus the arugula or spinach. it was a huge hit!! my summer go to salad for sure!!!
This was delicious! It was also wonderful the next day cold.
This was such a delicious , clean tasting salad. Just in time for summer.
This is a delicious salad! I used walnuts instead of pine nuts because that what I had on hand. Simply yummy, will make it again!
Loved this. My daughter asked for a batch to take back to college with her. Will definitely make again
I made this for xmas, new years, birthdays, totally simple and refreshing for any family get together – everyone loves it – delicious with any red meat! Thank you Mel for sharing!
I made this salad on Christmas day and everyone loved it! I bought risoni pasta (not sure if we can find orzo here in Australia) Thank you for such a nice recipe, I’m making it again for NYE (we’re having a BBQ and it will be great with BBQ meat I’m sure!)
Thank you xx
Yes! This salad is a winner! Thank you! I used Chard instead of spinach cause that’s what I had and it turned out great!
This very good. We all love it. When we have company over this salad is all gone.
How many servings does this make? I’m making it for a party of 25. Thanks!
It makes about 6 servings.
Loved this and making for the second time today to bring to a beach party, yes we have beaches in Northern Ohio! this is a perfect vegetarian dish for Anytime and my husband liked it as well. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe. Will be my go-to summer dish this year and going forward!
This was a huge hit at our family BBQ for the 4th! Lots of raving and me telling everyone about your site. The salad was so light and flavorful and fresh and lovely. And we thoroughly enjoyed and devoured the leftovers the next day! Thanks, Mel!
This is one of my favorites; so glad you loved it!
One of our favorites! We have used this as a side dish and as a main dish. Perfect for a hot summer day when you want something light. It keeps well in an airtight container for about 5 days. Has awesome flavor. To make it more healthy I use wholewheat orzo pasta.
What A lovely salad. Our whole family enjoy this salad. We eat it with grilled chicken.
Thanks for sharing grz. From the Netherlands
Just wondering how much orzo I should use if I already have some prepared? Looking forward to enjoying this salad tonight!
Probably around 2 cups.
I read that 12 ounces equals 1.5 cups?
I made this exactly as written and used tuxedo orzo (black and white). I also tossed the toasted pine nuts and crumbled feta with everything else and it was absolutely delicious. I’ve made this recipe more than once and found that the arugula holds up better than the spinach and adds another yummy layer to the taste. Maybe next time I’ll use a 50/50 mix. This is an elegant and delicate pasta salad that stands on its own without the need to “adjust” it. It goes so well with any sort of grilled protein, be it steak, (cedar plank) salmon, lemon/garlic colossal shrimp, or chicken. It really takes an al fresco dinner party to another level and makes your guests feel like you fussed – especially when you use a tuxedo orzo. Thank you, Mel!!!
Hi!
I was wondering if I could substitute the chicken broth with another ingredient?
You could try vegetable broth or water.
Loved this tonight! Added Persian cucumbers and shrimp, which were great. But also subbed roasted marcona almonds with rosemary from Trader Joe’s for the pine nuts, and that was really delicious!
Made this without the chicken broth. It was fine with out it if you are like me and forget it at the store. I added black olives and kalamata olives. Great salad love the dressing! No pine nuts either to expensive.
Made this as a side dish for a bbq lunch. It was so quick and easy to prepare and just worked perfectly! Will definitely be using this recipe again (and again)
This is so good! I make it every week! I was thinking of trying red quinoa instead of orzo, do you think it would work? Thanks!
wooohoooo qualifying cookies 24-7 I LOOOOOVVEE it. That sounds like a sweet life to me. Pinnnnnnned! 🙂
LOL! Loved the comment about winter – I feel the same way – 9 months of cold, white hell! I will make this salad this weekend. Thanks for the recipe and love your blog.
I love this recipe and make it quite frequently along with grilled chicken. I came across a recipe for a Greek/Mediterranean-inspired quinoa “salad” and the ingredients and dressing were similar enough that it made me think of this recipe. So, for dinner tonight I made your Orzo Salad recipe, but used quinoa instead of the orzo, added chopped red onion, Kalamata olives, and diced grilled chicken (which I marinated similarly to your lemon chicken marinade), and it turned out amazing! So tasty and I feel like the quinoa base is more healthful than the Orzo. I’ll definitely be making both the quinoa version and your Orzo Salad recipe again. Thanks for the recipe!
Stephanie – Such a great idea, Stephanie! Thanks for detailing your variations!
I’d love this as is (well, minus the feta), but if Hubs ever figured out that orzo is pasta he would refuse to eat it. I love pasta salads of all kinds, but he won’t come to the table unless it is hot and covered in marinara sauce! Sooooo, I’m wondering how this might work with quinoa instead of orzo. He will eat quinoa happily, and I like it too, so I may give this a tryout. If he doesn’t like it, so much the better, ’cause there will be more for me! We have nearly perennial summer here in Florida, complete with a 12-month farm stand for locally grown tomatoes, so this works really well for me and my year-round flip flops! I’m also thinking lime instead of lemon……I’ll let you know!
@TJ
I wonder if prepare this recipe so I checked full nutritional info. Here are ESTIMATED data you are asking:
Calories: 83 kcal / 100g or 372 kcal / serving (446g)
Carbs: 5.83 g / 100g or 25.98 g / serving
Protein: 2.43 g / 100g or 10.84 g / serving
Fat: 5.83 g / 100g or 25.99 g / serving
Source: http://happyforks.com/analyzer
There are no orzo in HappyForks database, so I used macaroni instead. Is it allowed, Mel?
Mark – For estimated data, macaroni should be fine.
Anyone have nutrition info (calories n carbs) in “fast and Fresh Orzo salad with tomatoes, basil and feta”??
Thanks
Do you have nutrition info on “fast and fresh orzo salad with tomatoes, basil and feta”
Calories n carbs????
TJ – I don’t provide the nutritional info for the recipes but there are a lot of online calculators you can plug the recipe into. Good luck!
This is my new fav! Love it. Took it to a neighbor’s dinner party and it was a hit. So I am making it tonight for my dinner event. Yum Yum Yumminie good!
I made this today and it was spectacular! I added chopped cilantro, avocado, fresh parsley, cucumber, and used toasted sesame seeds instead of pine nuts in addition to the other ingredients. Oh my word was it delicious!
This salad was to die for. Made with veggies and herbs from our garden, and served for a picnic lunch with lemon marinaded tuna on top. A regular now!
First time my family taste orzo, and we loveeeed this recipe,
it was the perfect side for our diner, in this hot night in tijuana.
I originally thought this might be too plain or boring but I made it and was blown away with how delicious it is, we all LOVED it!
just made this along with your kabobs – yum yum yum. Thanks Mel!
I made this for dinner and loved it! Since we’re only two people, I’ve been loving the leftovers for lunch. Thanks for another great one 🙂
made this for dinner last night with grilled chicken – divine! so so yummy! Even my kids liked it!
Thanks!
Made this pasta salad on Sunday for lunches this week, and my family LOVED it! Like LOOOOVED it. And bonus that we had almost all of the ingredients on hand or growing in our garden! Thanks Mel!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you liked this recipe! We seriously have this weekly. My favorite recipe I have!
I made this yesterday for a family dinner and it was great! Everyone loved it.
We had this tonight for dinner with guests and everyone loved it! I didn’t plan very well and didn’t have as many tomatoes as I would have liked and I forgot to buy pine nuts, so I added some sauteed red onion, some fresh cooked corn, and some chopped pecans. The salad looked beautiful and tasted wonderful.
Quick. Easy. Delicious! We had this for dinner tonight. I served it with some canned wild albacore tuna on the side drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and we LOVED it.
I made this tonight with yellow and red cherry tomatoes from my garden as well as chives and basil from my herb garden. We had it as a light dinner since it is very warm tonight. I only made a 1/2 recipe as it was just my daughter and I. Now I wish I had made the entire recipe! Very tasty, will make again.
Mel, I saw this yesterday and added it to my son’s birthday dinner menu today! I LOVED it!! It was the first time I had ever eaten feta. I assumed I wouldn’t like it, but I was wrong… It is so fresh tasting and just delicious! I’ll certainly make this again! 🙂
LOVE all of your recipes! This looks so good – thanks for sharing them ALL!
My family LOVES this recipe…we got it from Giada D. On fod network. Glad you are sharing here.
welp, I know what I’m making to accompany my chicken tonight. Seriously, all of the best things in one dish. So much love.
Yum! Making this for supper with your lemon garlic marinated grilled chicken. Thanks!
This looks so easy and cool.I really love the taste of pine nuts but they are so pricey in this area.I’m going to try this w/o the pine nuts and I think it will still be amazing. Our tomatoes are coming on late, so we can enjoy this into September.
I have all of these ingredients right now and I just happened to be making my weekend menu as I saw this. Thanks Mel, we’ll be having this right away! 🙂
Oh I love salads like this! I could eat these all year long, they are such a great versatile side dish! Looks delicious!
Such a great easy recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Definitely need to try this soon! Yum!
I absolutely adore this dish. I love orzo and always make it with fresh vegetables, I like that you used lemon juice and honey that is what I use all the time. Such a refreshing meal. Thanks for sharing.
What a gorgeous pasta salad! I love orzo, and I love that this recipe calls for cooking the orzo in chicken broth for extra flavor. I have a party in Septwmber, and I am going to make this. I know everyone will go nuts for it! Have a great weekend, Mel!
Making for July 4th. Added almonds vs pine nuts to save on calories a bit and quinoa for a protein source … Nice texture and I love the dressing !