Cheers to summer filled with flavorful pasta salads that keep everyone coming back for seconds. I think pasta salads can get a bad rap for being gloppy and a little tasteless, so it has been my mission over the past few years to bring you fresh, beautiful, flavorful pasta salads that you can feel good about eating (and serving to guests!)
This herby Italian orzo salad is a delicious pasta take on my Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad, which just so happens to be one of the most popular salad recipes on Ambitious Kitchen. One bite and you’ll truly be hooked — at least Abra and I were when we made it a few weeks back. This orzo salad has everything you could ever want: fresh herbs and veggies, tender orzo pasta, salty feta cheese, and plenty of savory elements from olives and pepperoncini.
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Okay, anyone else drooling just thinking about this combo?? Same.
The orzo salad is tossed in a light Italian dressing made with super simple ingredients and the flavors tie everything together so beautifully. Like most pasta salads, this one keeps in the fridge for days so you can easily make it ahead of time for a party or store leftovers for meal prep. Get this one on your summer menu ASAP!
Ingredients in this Italian orzo salad
This gorgeous, herby Italian orzo salad is all about the delicious mix-ins. We’re packing in fresh veggies, plus lots of fun additions like pepperoncini and olives! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Orzo: the base of this pasta salad is orzo! I love the little pasta shape and how easy it is to scoop it up with the rest of the ingredients.
- Veggies: we’re loading this orzo salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell pepper and red onion.
- Mix-ins: here’s where the salad gets extra delicious. You’ll mix in kalamata and green olives, pepperoncini and crumbled feta cheese for salty, savory goodness.
- Herbs: basil and parsley give this orzo salad a wonderful freshness. Don’t skip them!
- For the dressing: we’re making a light Italian dressing with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
Wait, what are pepperoncini?
Although “pepperoncini” sounds like a mini pepperoni, it’s actually a type of pepper. Pepperoncini are yellow-green and look similar to banana peppers, but are thinner and often a bit spicier. You can usually find them jarred near olives at the grocery store! If you’re sensitive to spice or aren’t a fan of banana peppers, feel free to omit the pepperoncini in this recipe.
Easy ways to customize
You can absolutely mix and match ingredients to make this Italian orzo salad your own! Here are some recommendations:
- Choose your pasta: I love using orzo for this recipe but pearl couscous, bowties, or even fusilli would be great. If you want to get real wild toss everything with your fav tortellini!
- Have fun with mix-ins: you can really get creative with the veggies and mix-ins here. Black olives, artichokes hearts, salami, cubed provolone, shaved parmesan, or even mozzarella pearls.
- Add a boost of protein: this orzo salad would be delicious with grilled chicken, chickpeas or white beans!
- Go gluten free: simply use your favorite gluten free orzo or pasta shape to keep the entire recipe gluten free.
Two ways to cook orzo
We’ve established that orzo is a variety of pasta, not rice, but you can actually cook it both ways!
- The pasta method: I typically cook orzo using this traditional pasta method. You’ll boil a large pot of water, add a pinch of salt, stir in orzo, and cook until al dente about 6-8 minutes. Once orzo is done cooking, drain it and set it aside in the colander.
- The rice method: You can also cook it the same way you cook rice. In a pot bring the orzo and double the amount of water to a boil, lower the heat, cover your pot, and let the orzo simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Make this orzo salad ahead of time
Probably what I love most about pasta salads is that they’re SO easy to prep ahead of time! A few days ahead of time you can either:
- Chop up all of your veggies, cook your pasta and make your dressing, then store everything in separate containers in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble it.
- OR make the whole Italian orzo salad ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy it!
Storing tips
Store any leftover Italian orzo salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy straight from the fridge!
More salad recipes you’ll love
- The Easiest Chopped Greek Chickpea Salad
- Spicy Cashew Chickpea Broccoli Salad with Ginger Peanut Dressing
- Vegan Caesar Pasta Salad
- Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese
- Peach Brussels Sprouts Crunch Salad with Creamy Tahini Poppy Seed Dressing
Get all of my salad recipes here!
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I hope you love this herby Italian orzo salad! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Herby Olive Italian Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the salad:
- 10 ounces orzo*
- 1 1/2 cups halved cherry or grape tomatoes (we love heirloom cherry tomatoes)
- 2 persian cucumbers, sliced and quartered (or 1 cucumber, sliced and quartered)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup pitted chopped or sliced kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup pitted chopped or sliced green olives
- 1/3 cup sliced pepperoncini
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup feta crumbles
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- First make the dressing: whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon, oregano and salt and pepper in a small bowl until well combined. You can also add them all to a mason jar, add the lid and then shake until well combined.
- Next cook your pasta until al dente according to the directions on the package. Once done cooking, drain and add to a large bowl.
- Add the tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, kalamata olives, green olives, pepperoncinis, red onion, feta, basil and parsley to the bowl with the pasta. Pour dressing over the top and toss together until combined. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
38 comments
Great summer salad! Super refreshing and easy to make. I love all your recipes, but that one was also a kids favourite for my picky eaters.
Loved this!! Used chickpea pasta instead of the orzo for a little extra protein and it turned out to be the perfect meal prep lunch
Another amazing Ambitious Kitchen recipe! Threw it together quickly. Added chickpeas & used goat cheese instead of feta. So delicious and the perfect non meat dish I was looking for!
Delicious! Made some tweaks because I was missing some ingredients, so love that it’s versatile. The dressing was fantastic. Even my 11 month old loved it.
Thanks for another 5 star recipe! Quick and perfect for summer. Lots of stuff you can grow in a garden too!
I made the Italian Orzo salad and it’s my new favorite now ! Yummy !!
Thank you
SO glad you loved it, Donna! Thanks so much for the review 🙂
Would like to double this recipe.
Sometimes doubling all of the ingredients just makes a hot mess.
Any suggestions?
LOVE your recipes and IG.
Hi! Should be fine to double everything, but maybe do just 3/4 teaspoon of salt in the dressing to start, and you can add more later if the salad needs it 🙂 Enjoy!
Thank you! This is a beautiful recipe that has sooo much flavour and texture, love it. Only thing I did different was cut back the orzo to 6 oz. but used all the vegetables. Love that it can be made ahead and stores so well. A winner for the summer!
I loved this! I make something very similar regularly with pearl cous cous, which I used for this too. I loved the addition of the two kinds of olives and two fresh herbs. The pepperoncinis also were great! I also added chickpeas.
So happy you loved it, Ali!
Tried this over 4th of July weekend. Absolutely delicious and leftovers were great too. I will be making this again in the near future.
I’m so happy you tried and loved it, Katie! Thanks so much 🙂
This was delicious!! But just a quick note, it’s categorized under the gluten free section and because orzo is a pasta it is not gluten free (but could easily be made gluten free).
So glad you enjoyed it, Carly! And yes we included it in the GF category because gluten free orzo (and gluten free pasta in general) is an option for this recipe. Good eye, though! 🙂
Is it good cold? Making it for dinner tonight and wondered if it’s a cold or warm salad.
Sorry for the delay! Yes I normally eat it cold 🙂
This is what I call a “clean the fridge” type of salad. It used so many items but they all mixed together wonderfully! I added garden zucchini and omitted parsley (I was too tired to chop any more! LOL) and my family loved it! We had it for a light lunch. Next time I’ll probably add cooked chicken or shrimp for some added protein. Thank you!
I’m not huge on olives but my husband is, so I decided to try this recipe because I knew he would love it. We actually both loved it! There was a lot of fresh, herby flavors and the olives weren’t overwhelming. I would definitely make this salad again.
My family absolutely loved this one! They couldn’t get enough. I added artichokes which made it even better.
To start, prepare the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, oregano, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
The perfect meal for a hot summer day! We added grilled chicken and avocado and it was such a filling and delicious dinner. My husband told me to immediately email him the recipe so he can print it and put it in our recipe book. This will definitely be on repeat!
Love that! Such a great go-to for summer 🙂
I’ve made this recipe a bunch of times and it’s delicious! Sometimes I use Romaine instead of orzo, and that is excellent as well.
wow, this looks so delicious and yummy. I just love this. thanks for sharing this wonderful article with us.
YUMMMMM. I love all things orzo, and this did not disappoint! I also threw some sweet corn in, because why not? Such a light, healthy dinner, and it couldn’t be easier! And also, it’s good for breakfast because I definitely had some leftovers from the fridge this morning…
Yummm that sounds amazing! SO glad you enjoyed it 🙂
❤️❤️❤️ this salad😋😋
5 stars! Such a refreshing pasta salad that will be perfect for any dinner party. The pepperoncinis are such a fun addition and compliment the salad so well.
Delicious recipe!! Sooo yummy!
Just one question, do you weigh the 10 ounces of orzo before or after cooking?
I would check the amount on the box. Usually 10oz is a whole box, but if it is more, then I would suggest weighing it out!
Wow, hands-down, the best pasta salad I’ve ever had in my life. This salad is so delicious. I wouldn’t change a thing. I took your advice and use the heirloom tomatoes and they were great in this recipe too. I have never used them before. I love how all the flavors come together and left me wanting seconds and thirds.
Love this salad. Added mozzarella and salami and it’s just so delicious!
Yay! So glad you are loving this recipe!
Such a fresh and flavorful salad! Will definitely have to give this recipe a try.
This Italian orzo salad recipe is absolutely delightful! I love the combination of fresh ingredients and vibrant flavors that make this dish a standout. The choice of using orzo as the base of the salad is perfect, as its small shape allows for easy mixing with the other ingredients. The medley of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red bell pepper, and red onion provides a refreshing and colorful array of veggies that add both texture and taste to the salad.
What truly sets this orzo salad apart is the addition of the mix-ins. The kalamata and green olives, along with the pepperoncini, offer a delightful tanginess and briny kick that perfectly complement the other ingredients.
The crumbled feta cheese adds a creamy and salty element that takes the flavor profile to the next level. The inclusion of fresh basil and parsley not only adds a touch of freshness but also enhances the overall aroma and taste of the dish.
Thanks!
Excellent! I am SO glad you are loving this salad, I totally agree, the mix-ins are a must!