Herbed Orzo Salad with Feta is an easy 30 minute recipe that is made with fresh ingredients and a lemon vinaigrette.
Happy new year! I thought I would start of 2018 with a healthy recipe option. One of my goals this year is to starting eating better and working out more. I am easing into the eating healthy thing with this Herbed Orzo Salad with Feta. This recipe is super easy and is great as a main dish for lunch or side dish for dinner. It’s vegetarian and would be fabulous to try for meatless Mondays.
One of the things that I have been doing lately is eating less meat and I have to say doing so it has lowered my blood pressure. I am hoping to cutting down my meat consumption to just one or two times per week. This orzo salad is hearty enough to replace any meat for a main dish and I have added fresh ingredients to brighten the taste.
There are just a few easy components to this recipe that comes together in just 30 minutes. The first is cooking the orzo. Orzo looks like rice but it is actually pasta. I love it in salads and soups, like this one. While the pasta is cooking, I whisk together a lemon vinaigrette and chop up the fresh herbs. All of the ingredients are combined together and marinated for about an hour before eating. This Herbed Orzo Salad with Feta can be made ahead of time making meal planning super easy.
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¾ pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
- 1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
- 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ½ cup small-diced red onion
- ¾ pound feta cheese, large-diced
- Fill a large pot with water, add salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl.
- Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.
- Add the scallions, parsley, onion, salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully.
- Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.
- *Note: feta cheese is very salty so watch how much salt is added.
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This salad looks amazing. Looking forward to trying it next week for healthy lunches.
Thank Melanie! Hope you like the salad 🙂
This looks great!! can;t wait to try it!! Is it possibly for you to add in the nutritional values to your recipes.. for us looking to eat lower calories, it can be easier to track!
Hi Nishita! I currently don’t have the plugin to track nutritional values. Sorry.