Easy Lemon Orzo Salad With Feta
If you're looking for a side dish that pulls its weight without demanding much from you in the kitchen, this Lemon Orzo Salad deserves a permanent spot in your rotation. Tossed together in under 30 minutes, it's bursting with crisp vegetables, handfuls of fresh herbs, creamy feta, and a punchy lemon dressing that ties everything together beautifully.
Ingredients
- 1 lb orzo pasta cooked al dente
- 1 large English cucumber diced, no peeling needed
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- ½ medium medium red onion finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large lemon zested and juiced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for serving
- 1 tsp honey optional to balance acidity
- ¼ cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- 6 oz feta cheese crumbled
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper or to taste
Notes
- Let it chill. Serving this salad cold after it's had time to rest is genuinely better than eating it straight from the bowl. The lemon and olive oil soak into the orzo and the whole thing tastes more cohesive.
- Re-dress before serving. Orzo absorbs liquid as it sits, so leftovers from the fridge can look a little dry. A drizzle of olive oil and a quick toss brings it right back to life. Letting it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes also helps loosen things up.
- Turn it into a full meal. Top with grilled chicken strips, seared shrimp, or sliced steak, and you've gone from side dish to a satisfying dinner with little extra effort.