Mediterranean orzo salad with tomatoes, peppers, spinach, olives, feta and pesto is a colorful, healthful and delicious side salad!
I adore all things Mediterranean, whether it’s a Mediterranean quinoa skillet, easy Mediterranean chicken, Mediterranean salmon or crock pot Mediterranean chicken for a hands-off dinner.
And in salad form? Even better!
My Mediterranean farro salad is a regular staple and this Mediterranean chickpea salad gets used all summer long as a fresh side dish for whatever we are grilling - or as a light lunch for me.
And if you take some of those same amazing flavors and add in pasta?
Swoon worthy!
This Mediterranean orzo salad is colorful, healthful and absolutely delicious!
It’s full of tender, buttery orzo pasta mixed with fresh tomatoes, peppers and spinach plus olives and feta cheese.
Everything is tossed with basil pesto to make an irresistible side dish!
Oh, and it’s just 8 ingredients and can be made completely in advance.
It’s a winner for sure.
OK, let’s get cooking.
I’ve got some helpful notes and tips coming up below on making this Mediterranean orzo pasta salad. You can also scroll on down to the recipe card if you prefer.
Ingredient Notes:
Orzo: Regular or a whole wheat orzo will work fine.
Tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes are easy to find year round and I love their small size. You could also try chopped Roma tomatoes if you prefer. Or you could take this a slightly different route and use sun-dried tomatoes instead.
Bell pepper: I prefer to use a yellow or orange bell pepper for this recipe for the sweetness and the color.
Red onion: I personally love red onion, raw, cooked, pickled, however. But if you are sensitive to them or yours is especially pungent, chop the red onion and soak the pieces in cold water for about 5-10 minutes. Then drain the water off and use the pieces for your salad. (You could also leave it off if you prefer.)
Olives: These add a great briny-ness and of course go with the Mediterranean theme. You can get kalamata olives from the olive bar at the grocery store or use the jarred ones. Just make sure they are pitted. Or substitute another favorite olive if you'd like.
Pesto: Either a homemade basil pesto or store bought pesto will work great for this recipe. You could also substitute a basil vinaigrette or even a lemon vinaigrette if you’d prefer a salad dressing instead.
And while this salad certainly has plenty going on by itself, you could of course serve it with some fresh, julienned basil and some lemon wedges for a garnish.
Let’s tackle a few quick final details.
Make ahead: The entire salad can be made in advance. Store it, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve and just give it a good stir before spooning it up.
Storage: Keep the salad stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Add a drizzle of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon juice to the salad to wake it back up before serving, if needed.
I hope you give this a try for a snazzy new side salad that everyone will adore.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups orzo
- 10 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup packed chopped fresh spinach
- ½ small red onion, finely dicd
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ⅓ cup kalamata olives, halved
- ½ to ⅔ cup prepared basil pesto (see notes)
Instructions
- Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and let cool completely.
- Meanwhile, chop and prep the remaining ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooled orzo with ½ cup of the pesto and mix well to get the pasta coated.
- Add the tomatoes, peppers, spinach, red onion, feta cheese and olives. Mix well. Add additional pesto if desired.
- Serve immediately or let sit at room temperature (for up to 30 minutes) before serving. Or refrigerate until ready to serve.
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