CC's Table | Easy Recipes for Entertaining

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About Caitlin of CC’s Table
    • CC’s Favorites
    • FAQ
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • RECIPES
  • WORK WITH ME
  • Cookie Policy
  • Cookie Policy
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Work With Me
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Work With Me
×
CC's Table » Recipes » Pastas

Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta

Published: Feb 25, 2024 · Modified: Apr 8, 2024 by Caitlin Charlton · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you. · 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta is the perfect simple pasta salad for a spring or summer bbq, picnic, or potluck. It tastes even better when prepped in advance making it the perfect side dish for entertaining. Tossed with lots of lemon, red onion, dill, and garlic, this quick and easy pasta salad is a total hit!

Lemon orzo salad with feta in a bowl with a spoon next to two glasses of white wine.
Jump to:
  • Key Ingredients
  • How to make orzo pasta salad
  • Prep ahead tips
  • Expert Tips & Tricks
  • More salad recipes you'll love
  • 📖 Recipe
  • Comments

I've always loved Ina Garten's Lemon Orzo with Feta and in particular, I love the pasta portion of it. This salad is inspired by that recipe but is a simpler take on Ina's classic recipe.

Key Ingredients

  • Orzo pasta: If you’d like to make this recipe gluten-free, you can purchase gluten-free orzo pasta. 
  • Lemon: I use both the zest and juice of lemons for added lemon flavor!
  • Dill: The dill adds a delicious freshness to this pasta salad.
  • Red Onion: Finely dice the red onion.
  • Feta cheese: opt for a block of good feta cheese in brine. The pre-crumbled feta cheese is much less flavorful.
  • Olive oil: a good quality extra-virgin olive oil is perfect for this pasta salad! The orzo will absorb the delicious flavors of the olive oil as it cools.
  • Garlic: I recommend using a grater to get the garlic nice and fine. When it is finely grated it melts beautifully into the hot pasta.
Olive oil, feta, lemons, dill, red onion, garlic, and orzo on a white counter.

How to make orzo pasta salad

  1. Cook the orzo in a pot of boiling salted water. Drain the pasta.
  2. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt and pepper.
  3. Toss the pasta with half the dressing and then let it cool. During this time the pasta will absorb the delicious flavors of the dressing.
Orzo pasta cooking in boiling water in a black pot.
Orzo pasta in a glass bowl with a spoon.

Want to save this recipe to come back to it?

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!

4. When the pasta is cooled, toss in the rest of the dressing, the red onion, dill, and crumbled feta cheese.

5. Taste and adjust for seasoning as desired. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Lemon orzo salad with feta in a glass bowl with a spoon.

Prep ahead tips

This orzo pasta salad is an excellent cold pasta salad to prep ahead! The flavors will continue to meld together as they rest, making it a great prep-ahead option for parties.

This is best served within 2 days but it will last up to 3-5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If it is been a few days, taste it before serving as it may need a refresh of a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of olive oil!

Expert Tips & Tricks

  • I love the simplicity of this pasta salad. If you are looking to bulk it up, you can add in chopped cucumber or cherry tomatoes. To turn this into a filling main dish, top it with grilled shrimp or chicken.
  • This recipe serves 6 if you are having other sides and dishes. It serves closer to 4 if this is your main dish with maybe some shrimp on top. Since it saves so well, I always love making extra and having leftovers for lunches throughout the week.
  • This recipe tastes even better when prepped in advance! It would be a gorgeous make-ahead side at any bbq, party, or bridal or baby shower.

More salad recipes you'll love

  • Summer Quinoa Salad
  • Tomato Feta Salad
  • Italian Chopped Salad

If you try this simple Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta, I'd love to know what you think in the comments below! I hope you love it!

Close photo of lemon orzo with feta, dill, and red onion.

📖 Recipe

Lemon orzo salad with feta in a bowl with a spoon next to two glasses of white wine.

Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta

Lemon Orzo Salad with Feta is the perfect simple pasta salad for a spring or summer bbq, picnic, potluck. It tastes even better when prepped in advance making it the perfect side dish for entertaining.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cooling time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 people
Author: Caitlin Charlton

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups orzo pasta
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 lemons
  • 2 garlic cloves grated
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
  • ½ cup diced red onion
  • 2 tablespoon chopped dill
  • 1 cup freshly crumbled feta cheese not pre-crumbled

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook, according to package directions, until al dente. Drain.
  • While the pasta is cooking, make the dressing. Whisk together the olive oil, zest of 1 lemon, juice of 2 lemons, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  • Toss the hot pasta with half the dressing. Cool the pasta completely.
  • Once the pasta has cooled, toss it with the remaining dressing, red onion, dill, and feta.
  • Taste adjusting for seasoning, as desired. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.

Want to save this recipe to come back to it?

I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!

Tried this recipe?Please consider leaving a review! It means the world to me!

More Pastas

  • Mexican street corn elote pasta salad in a glass bowl next to cilantro, lime wedges, cotija, and a wooden spoon.
    Elote Pasta Salad
  • Baked mushroom mac and cheese in a white baking dish with a scoop missing next to a sprig of thyme and white wine.
    Mushroom Mac and Cheese
  • Farfalle Greek Chicken Pasta Salad with feta in a glass bowl next to a silver spoon and blue and white towel.
    Greek Chicken Pasta Salad
  • A wooden spoon scooping into a one pot baked zucchini pasta with corn and mozzarella.
    Zucchini Pasta Bake

Comments

    5 from 3 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Kelly says

    June 28, 2024 at 6:38 am

    5 stars
    Just made this today. So fresh and delicious .

    Reply
    • Caitlin Charlton says

      July 03, 2024 at 12:48 pm

      Thank you so much! I'm so thrilled to hear you liked it!

      Reply
Photo of Caitlin with brown hair smiling and cooking

Hi, I'm Caitlin! I'm an event planner turned professionally trained chef living by the beach! I'm excited to share with you recipes and tips for how I entertain with ease by prepping ahead.

More about me →

Connect on social

  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Trending Recipes

  • Ground Chicken Enchilada Recipe
    Ground Chicken Enchiladas

  • Four slices of ribeye steak sandwiches with chimichurri stacked on a cutting board next to oregano.
    Steak Sandwich with Chimichurri

  • Shrimp scampi and angel hair pasta in a cast iron skillet next to lemon wedges on a white counter.
    Shrimp Scampi with Angel Hair Pasta

  • Two plates of salmon with a yogurt dill sauce on top of farro and asparagus next to a glass of wine.
    Salmon with Yogurt Dill Sauce

Footer

CC's Table logo with tagline entertaining with ease

About

About Caitlin

CC's Favorites

Privacy Policy

Contact

Contact

Work With Me

FAQ

Connect on Social

  • Pinterest
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

© 2020-2025 CC's Table All Rights Reserved.

Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.