Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Submitted by CarolAT

"This easy pasta salad is packed full of taste and textures from the fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and goes great with your backyard barbecues and barbecued chicken. Try it with Recipe #306063. This recipe was posted in my local news paper. Enjoy."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 1 lb orzo pasta
• 1⁄4 cup lemon juice
• 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb tomatoes, diced
• 1 seedless cucumber, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1⁄3 cup pitted kalamata olive, coarsely chopped
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Prepare the pasta according to package instructions.
2. In a colander, drain the cooked pasta, then rinse with cold water and drain well. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, feta cheese and the reserved pasta. Add the dressing and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Reviews

[Mama_Jennie]

Updated! So I finally had all the ingredients to make this and it came out pretty good! The flavors blend nicely and the differing textures of the cucumber, orzo, & feta melded nicely together. The kids didn't care for it much but I think that's because there are some very strong flavors that they just aren't used to. I would recommend!

 

[Baby Kato]

This was really lovely Carol. I really enjoyed the flavors and textures in this fresh tasting salad. The sweet tomatoes, salty feta, sharp olives, cool cucumber and orzo all blended beautifully with the tart and tangy dressing. Thanks so much for sharing. Made for PAC Fall/08

 

[Nancy G.]

I found this same recipe in my newspaper and made it to serve with my Greek-style dinner. We enjoyed the salad ~ I used grape tomatoes and a cucumber, both from my garden, but otherwise made as posted. It makes a TON of salad and would be great for a potluck or a party. Thanks for posting!

 

[luvinlif2k]

This was an easy salad to toss together. We felt that the feta was a bit overwhelming. We are also not true fans of Kalamata olives. As a recipe I believe this will give you a good, Mediterranean salad. Reviewed for ZWT4.

 

[Benthe Danish]

Made for Family Picks ZWT4 – Great Orzo Salad. Added roasted pine nuts, red onion and used Gorgonzola instead of feta. Great flavour. Another Make again recipe. Thanks CarolAT.