Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb Orzo (dry)
• 1 can Chickpeas, canned no-salt-added, drained and rinsed
• 2 Cucumber, diced
• 1 pint Cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Red onion, finely diced
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, halved
• 1 jar Roasted red peppers (jarred), drained and chopped
• 6 oz Feta cheese, crumbled
• 6 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 tbsp juice Lemon
• 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Dried oregano
• 1 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 3 tbsp Fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tsp Black pepper

Method

1. Cook the orzo in well-salted water to just al dente, drain, and rinse under cold water until cool. Rinsing is right here even though it is wrong for hot pasta — it stops the cooking and removes the starch that would glue the salad together.
2. Toss the warm-but-not-hot orzo with 2 tbsp of the oil so it stays loose.
3. Whisk the remaining oil, lemon, vinegar, Dijon, oregano and pepper.
4. Fold everything together except the feta and herbs. Let it sit 20 minutes — the orzo drinks the dressing, which is why this needs more dressing than you think.
5. Fold in feta, parsley and dill just before serving. Taste and add lemon; it almost always wants more.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Herbs at the end, in quantity. A cup of parsley is not a garnish, it is an ingredient.

🧒 For the kids

Fill a small container with plain buttered orzo, cucumber and feta before you dress the big bowl.

🌿 From the garden

Cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley and dill all at once in July.

🥡 Leftovers

4 days. Add a squeeze of lemon before serving again — it flattens overnight.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.