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Greek Orzo Salad

A delicious pasta salad with Greek flavours and a lemony vinaigrette
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Salad
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Kelly Senyei, Just a Taste

Ingredients

Orzo Salad

  • cups uncooked orzo pasta (I used riso)
  • cups cucumber, diced
  • cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • cup red onions, diced
  • cup black olives, sliced
  • 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled (I did cubes)

Vinaigrette

  • cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 t fresh lemon juice
  • 2 t garlic, minced
  • 2 t dried oregano
  • 1 t sugar
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Cook the orzo according to package instructions until al dente.
  • Drain and add to a large bowl.
  • Add the cucumber, tomatoes, onions, olives and feta.
  • In a small bowl or glass jar, whisk together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and sugar.
  • While whisking, stream in the olive oil, then taste and season the dressing with salt and pepper.
  • Add the dressing to the pasta and toss to combine. Enjoy the salad immediately at room temperature or cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until ready to serve.

Notes

The tweaks I made:
  • I used brown onion as I didn't have red. Red onion is what is traditionally added to Greek salads. I also used only a tablespoon full as I personally don't like raw onion.
  • I had fresh parsley in the fridge, so I added ½ a cup of finely chopped parsley to the salad.
  • I kept my olives whole as I have a family member who doesn't eat olives and had to be able to avoid them when dishing up.
  • I added the juice of a whole lemon and reduced the red wine vinegar to 2 tablespoons (30ml).
  • I added a heaped teaspoon of whole grain mustard to the vinaigrette.
Other notes:
  • Kelly notes that the salad is best if you give it an hour or two to marinate in the fridge before serving. It can also be made up to one day in advance and stored, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge.
  • I am confident that this salad could be made using cooked white or brown rice. Cooking the rice would take a bit longer, but I am sure it will still be delicious.