Lemony Olive Orzo

This simple orzo pasta salad combines briny salty olives, tangy lemon, and smooth feta cheese for an irresistible side dish that instantly transports you to Italy.

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This simple orzo pasta salad combines briny salty olives, tangy lemon, and smooth feta cheese for an irresistible side dish that instantly transports you to Italy.

There’s something about an orzo pasta salad that just does it for me.  When you take that, and you give it a Mediterranean twist by adding salty Castelvetrano olives and briny feta cheese, and then squeeze lemon juice all over it – it’s just next level delicious.  

Mediterranean recipes are pretty much a staple in my house, and any dish that showcases lemon is just fine by me. 

This is a super simple salad to throw together on a weeknight that can be bulked up in various different ways.

Shopping List for Lemon Olive Orzo

• Orzo

• Shallot

• Olive oil

• Castelvetrano Olives

• Parsley

• Lemon

• Feta

Making Orzo Salads

Use high quality pasta – I typically use DeLallo pasta whenever I can.  I find it gives me the best taste and texture.  DeLallo also carries a line of Castelvetrano olives, although they can be hard to find in stores. 

I always choose pitted olives rather than have to go through the hassle of pitting them myself.

Use real lemon juice – the bottled stuff just isn’t as good.

If you can afford it, use the feta that comes in a block in brine.  It’s more expensive than the pre-crumbled stuff, but it’s so much better, and it honestly lasts for months in the fridge, so you’ll be able to use it before it goes bad.

To Make Lemony Orzo Salad:

• Start by cooking your orzo according to package directions.

• Cook the diced shallot in oil in a large skillet for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent.  Rough chop your olives and add them to the skillet.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until olives are heated through.

• Add the cooked orzo to the olive mixture in the skillet and stir it all together.   Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste, and parsley to the dish and stir.   Crumble feta on top.

• Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Alterations and Substitutions:

This salad is super customizable.  I’ve made it as a side dish or light lunch here, but there are so many things you could do to bulk it up to make it a main dish.

• You could add grilled chicken, steak or shrimp to the dish.

• You could omit the feta and use grilled halloumi cheese instead.

• You could add extra veggies – spinach or arugula would wilt down nicely. 

• You could use different olives or use several types of olives.

• You could add chopped marinated artichoke hearts – that would be AMAZING.

• White beans or chickpeas would add protein while still keeping the salad vegetarian.

• You could omit the cheese entirely and make it vegan

• Sun dried tomatoes or cherry tomatoes would be great.

• Pickled red onion would be a great topper.

So really, there’s no end in sight to how you can take this basic recipe and make it a million different ways to suit your tastes. 

There’s no dressing, so this would work really well as a meal prep dish. If you do it that way, I would hold off on adding any extra veg that would start to wilt or go bad if left to sit.  Keep those veggies separate and add them daily for the longest shelf life.  That includes the cheese.

Yield

4 Servings

Author

Sara Rauckhorst

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

10 Min

Total time

15 Min

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Lemony Olive Orzo

This simple orzo pasta salad combines briny salty olives, tangy lemon, and smooth feta cheese for an irresistible side dish that instantly transports you to Italy.

Ingredients

Lemony Olive Orzo

• ¾ Cup Orzo
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup of pitted olives, roughly chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

To Make Lemony Olive Orzo

1. Start by cooking your orzo according to package directions.
2. Cook the shallot in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add your olives  to the skillet. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until olives are heated through.
3. Add the cooked orzo to the olive mixture in the skillet and stir it all together. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste, and parsley to the dish and stir. Crumble feta on top.
4. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

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