This light and refreshing orzo salad with tomatoes, basil and feta is the perfect side dish and is delicious as a main dish, too. Simple and so tasty!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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! -Amanda

Top down view of a white casserole dish with a cooked orzo salad with tomatoes, chopped basil, feta, and pine nuts.

How to Make This Fresh Orzo Salad

This salad is one of my favorite side dishes to make for summer potlucks and BBQs. It also makes the most incredible light and fresh dinner served with simple grilled chicken or salmon.

Here’s how to make it:

  1. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and set aside.
  2. Cook the orzo until al dente and let cool to room temperature, tossing often so it doesn’t stick.
  3. Toss all the salad ingredients together, except for the feta and pine nuts.
  4. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.
  5. Add the feta and pine nuts and give a light toss (don’t over do it – you want some of the feta and pine nuts to stay on top).

This salad is so easy to throw together and makes the most of that summer produce: tomatoes and fresh basil. Yum!

A glass bowl with cooked orzo, chopped scallions, halved cherry tomatoes, and chopped basil. Sauce is being poured over the salad ingredients from a measuring cup.
Top down view of a cooked orzo salad with halved cherry tomatoes and chopped basil.

Key Ingredients Notes

  • Olive oil: This is used in the dressing. You can sub in another type of oil, if desired.
  • Red wine vinegar: The vinegar enhances the flavor in the dressing. I’ve made this salad many times over the years with other varieties of vinegar and it turns out great: white wine vinegar and white balsamic vinegar.
  • Lemon juice: Use fresh lemon juice for best results.
  • Honey: A small amount of honey is needed but is important to balance the flavors of the dressing.
  • Orzo pasta: Orzo is a small rice-shaped pasta and is easily found in the pasta aisle of the grocery store.
  • Chicken broth: The recipe instructs the orzo to be cooked in chicken broth for added flavor. If you don’t have chicken broth, you can cook the pasta in lightly salted water.
  • Tomatoes: Grape, cherry, or chopped tomatoes work great in this recipe.
  • Arugula or spinach: Coarsely chop the arugula or spinach before using in the recipe. Either works great, depending on your preference or what you have on hand.
  • Chives: Finely chop the chives for the salad. Green onions can be used in place of the chives. Finely chop the green ends, if using.
  • Fresh basil: I think the fresh basil is what makes this salad so flavorful and yummy! Fresh basil can bruise easily, so you can tear it into pieces rather than chop, but once it is in the salad, you don’t really notice either way.
  • Feta cheese: This lends a salty punch to the salad and is so yummy. I prefer using block feta cheese and crumbling myself – it’s creamier than pre-crumbled feta cheese. You can sub in freshly grated Parmesan cheese for the feta, if desired.
  • Pine nuts: Another stellar ingredient! Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet before using in the salad for extra flavor.
A wooden spoon taking a scoop of cooked orzo salad with tomatoes, pine nuts, and basil out of a white casserole dish.

Make-Ahead Note

Tip for making ahead of time: If refrigerated longer than an hour this salad may get a bit dry, so if you want to make it in advance, increase the dressing ingredients by half and reserve some of the dressing to pour over the salad right before serving. Also, if making in advance, wait to add pine nuts until right before serving.

I’ve been making this salad for over ten years, and it’s a tried-and-true favorite even after all this time! It is so fresh and flavorful, I look forward to summer and fresh tomato and basil season just to make it.

Read through the comments below to get even more ideas for what to serve with it and how other readers have changed it up in delicious ways to their liking.

A white plate with cooked orzo, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped basil, pine nuts, and crumbled feta.
A wooden spoon taking a scoop of cooked orzo salad with tomatoes, pine nuts, and basil out of a white casserole dish.

Orzo Salad with Tomatoes, Basil and Feta

Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
4.64 stars (202 ratings)
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Salad:

  • 12 ounces orzo pasta
  • 6 cups chicken broth (or water – see note)
  • 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
  • 1 cup arugula or baby spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped chives or green onions
  • 3 tablespoons chopped or torn fresh basil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  • ½ cup toasted pine nuts (see note)

Instructions 

  • For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and honey. Season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper. Set aside.
  • For the salad, cook the orzo in chicken broth until al dente 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. (You can stir in a tablespoon or so of the dressing if the pasta is overly sticky).
  • In a bowl or serving dish, toss the pasta with the tomatoes, arugula/spinach, tomatoes, chives/green onions, and basil.
  • Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to evenly combine.
  • Sprinkle the feta and pine nuts over the top and toss lightly. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Notes

Pine Nuts: To toast the pine nuts, heat them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, tossing or stirring often until golden, 4 to 5 minutes.
Chicken Broth: You can cook the orzo in water rather than chicken broth, if desired. If doing so, lightly salt the water before adding the orzo to cook.
Make Ahead: If refrigerated longer than an hour this salad may get a bit dry, so if you want to make it in advance, consider increasing the dressing ingredients by half and reserving some of that dressing to pour over the salad right before serving (also, wait to add pine nuts right before serving).
Author: Mel
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Method: Stovetop
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 488kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 1148mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g

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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!

Recipe originally published August 2013; updated June 2026 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.

A white dish full of cooked orzo pasta, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and basil, with 3 forks and some white bowls on the side.

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