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Orzo Feta Sun Dried Tomato Salad

A vibrant, quick Mediterranean pasta salad packed with orzo, creamy feta, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Ready in just 25 minutes.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek, Italian, Mediterranean
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salad Base
  • 1.5 cups uncooked orzo pasta
  • 8 oz feta cheese block cheese, crumbled manually
  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained (reserve 1 tbsp oil) and chopped
  • 0.5 cup kalamata olives pitted and sliced
  • 0.5 cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
  • 1 cup fresh baby spinach roughly chopped
Dressing
  • 0.25 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil reserved from jar
  • 1 large lemon zested and juiced (approx 2 tbsp juice)
  • 1 clove garlic finely minced
  • 0.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper freshly cracked

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Colander
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Microplane or zester

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook orzo according to package directions for al dente (usually 8-10 minutes).
  2. While orzo cooks, prep ingredients: chop tomatoes, slice olives, crumble feta, chop herbs, zest and juice lemon, mince garlic.
  3. Drain cooked orzo and rinse briefly under cold water to stop cooking and remove starch. Drain well.
  4. In a large serving bowl, whisk together olive oil, reserved sun-dried tomato oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
  5. Add the drained orzo to the bowl with dressing and toss to coat completely.
  6. Add sun-dried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, basil, and spinach. Toss gently to combine.
  7. Serve immediately at room temperature or chill for 30 minutes to let flavors meld. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Notes

For best texture, buy a block of feta in brine and crumble it yourself rather than using pre-crumbled cheese.