If you loved our Mediterranean Potato Salad then you are definitely going to love our bright & flavorful Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad!
Orzo, originating in Italy, is a short-cut pasta similar to the shape and size of a large grain of rice. It is made with both white and whole wheat flour. For our recipe I used whole wheat because of it’s extra nutritional benefits. One serving of whole wheat orzo provides 15% of your daily iron, a whopping 6 grams of dietary fiber and is also high in B vitamins.
Whole grains are an important part of a “Mediterranean Diet” and should be an important part of your diet too! This recipe features flavors and foods associated with the Mediterranean Diet—a diet focusing on large daily portions of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, beans and whole grains. Dairy products like feta cheese and yogurt are eaten a few times a week along with seafood and eggs. Red meat is eaten very seldom.
We follow the Mediterranean diet in our home pretty closely, except no read meat for me. Mike and I do enjoy the occasional sweet too 🙂 . Everything in moderation of course!
Now back to our recipe—it requires very few ingredients, it’s full of nutrients and is ready in less than 15 minutes (minus the orzo cooling & cooking). Our vegetables include: red onion, cherry/grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, zucchini and fresh dill. White or yellow onion can be substituted for the red onion and a great substitute for zucchini is cucumber. You can also use green or black olives. Whatever you have on hand and what you prefer! Lastly, we top our salad with a simple olive oil dressing and feta cheese crumbles. Simply omit the feta cheese and the salad will be vegan.
Allowing the salad to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour is key to an incredibly flavorful and delicious dish. Works well if you make the night before as well. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. We hope you enjoy!
Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Whole wheat orzo
- 1 Chopped large zucchini
- ½ Diced red onion
- 1 Cup Halved grape or cherry tomatoes
- ½ Cup Kalamata olives
- 7 Oz Crumbled feta cheese
Dressing
- ¾ Cup Olive oil
- ¼ Cup Lemon juice
- 3 Sprigs of fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill
- 2 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 ½ Tsp Oregano
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook orzo according to package instructions. Be sure to salt water! Once cooked, remove from stove to cool.
- Add cooled orzo to large mixing bowl. Dice red onion and zucchini and add to bowl. Halve tomatoes and olives and mix into bowl. Mix in feta cheese crumbles.
- In separate bowl whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and seasonings. Pour dressing over orzo and vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. That's it, enjoy!
