Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

We’re just back from our trip to Greece this summer, and I’m so excited to share some incredible Greek-inspired recipes with you– like this Greek Orzo Pasta Salad.

With marinated white beans, plenty of fresh herbs, crisp cucumber, orzo pasta, and creamy feta, it’s so delicious and perfect as a side or simple main dish.

We ate so well on our Greece trip, especially when it came to salads. A daily Greek salad was a must, along with tomato fritters, stuffed grape leaves, grilled halloumi cheese, bulgur wheat salads, and plenty of fresh pasta salads like this one.

If you love summer pasta salads, then you’ll love this Mediterranean orzo salad. See below for tips for success and more details, or scroll down for the full recipe card.

Ingredient Notes for this Greek Orzo Salad Recipe

The secret for this orzo pasta salad is marinating the white beans first, then tossing them with the rest of the ingredients. This helps to infuse the canned beans and adds so much flavor to the overall pasta salad. I do the same thing in my lemon pasta salad, and it makes a huge difference in flavor!

This Greek orzo pasta salad is also so incredibly versatile! You can add more or less of any ingredient– you really don’t even have to measure. If you like more tomatoes, add more tomatoes! Like more mint? Add more mint. Or less mint! This one is very adaptable to your preferences.

I prefer white beans in this salad, but chickpeas also work. You can also substitute chopped tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes.

Cucumber adds a nice crunch, and I like the thin Persian or English cucumber varieties, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced. Like the tomatoes, chopped cucumber also works.

The fresh dill and mint are my favorite herbs in this salad, but fresh parsley and basil can also be substituted. Finely chopped red onion can also be swapped in for the shallots.

The creamy feta makes this decidedly Greek, but you can omit it for a dairy-free version. I buy the Greek or Israeli feta that’s in blocks in brine, which is much better than the pre-crumbled version.

How to Make this Greek Orzo Pasta Salad (step-by-step photos)

Marinate the White Beans

Add the white beans into a large bowl (use the bowl you are planning on serving this in for ease), then add olive oil, vinegar, chopped shallot, dried oregano, and pepper. Let this sit for at least 30 minutes to infuse the flavor into the beans and take the bite out of the shallots.

Prep the Ingredients

While the beans are marinating, prep the rest of the ingredients so you can easily assemble the salad. Chop the tomatoes, peel, seed and thinly slice the cucumbers, pit and slice the olives, chop the fresh herbs

Add the ingredients

Add in all the ingredients to the marinated beans, along with the cooked orzo pasta. Toss, season to taste and serve at room temperature for best flavor.

Tips for Success

Don’t skip marinating the white beans before adding in the rest of the ingredients! It adds so much flavor to the beans and cuts down on any sharp bite from the raw shallots and garlic.

If you want to make this Greek orzo salad recipe ahead of time, then prep the beans, cook the orzo and then chop the rest of the ingredients. Then, right before serving, toss everything together.

Olive oil tastes best at room temperature, so I recommend serving this one at room temperature. If you want to make it ahead of time, then pull it from the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

This orzo salad is great alongside any grilled protein for summer or as a simple lunch salad.