This light and zesty Orzo Pasta Salad is summer in a bowl—loaded with juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, sweet corn, and tangy feta, all tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette.
It’s quicker and lighter than your usual pasta salad and perfect for BBQs, potlucks, or make-ahead lunches.
No red wine vinegar or olives here—this version leans fresh and fun with Texas-style swaps like grilled corn, zucchini, cilantro, and even queso fresco if you’re feeling wild.
I’ve made this orzo salad dozens of times over the years—tweaking the dressing, swapping in seasonal veggies, and perfecting the pasta-to-veggie ratio. One of the biggest things I learned? Don’t overcook the orzo. It should be tender but not mushy, and rinsing it after cooking keeps it from turning gummy. I also found that a punchy lemon vinaigrette with just the right balance of acid, oil, and Dijon makes all the difference in flavor and freshness.
If this lemony orzo salad made your summer brighter, let me know in the comments! Don’t forget to leave a rating and share it with a friend who needs a potluck win. 🍋💬
This Orzo Pasta Salad is a bright, lemony summer side packed with fresh veggies, feta, and zesty flavor. It’s make-ahead friendly, easy to customize, and always a hit at potlucks or cookouts!
Course Salad, Side Dishes
Cuisine American, Greek, Mediterranean
Keyword Greek Orzo Pasta Salad, Lemon Vinaigrette, Orzo, Orzo Pasta Salad, Orzo Salad, Summer Orzo Pasta Salad
Cook the orzo per the directions on the back of the box. Drain the water and run cold water over it until it’s no longer hot. Let it drain completely while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Place the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk until combined.
Add the drained orzo, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, feta, onion, and parsley to the bowl. Toss until combined in the dressing. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.
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Notes
This is an extremely light and refreshing salad. The lemon vinaigrette is the perfect accompaniment to all the ingredients in the salad.
It takes about 1 large ear of corn or two small ears. The corn adds a wonderful crunch and sweetness to the salad. However, you can char it on the grill first to add a smokey element to the salad that would also be delicious.
If you are not planning on serving this right away, I suggest doubling the dressing recipe. The Orzo really soaks up the dressing if it sits for hours or overnight. You can also double the dressing, then save half on the side to serve with the salad for those that like more.
If you don’t like feta cheese, parmesan, goat cheese, gorgonzola, would work as well. If you like a lighter flavored cheese, Monterey Jack or Gouda would work well too cut into chunks.
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Hi, I’m Michele Feuerborn, wife, and dog Mom, with 20+ years experience as a home cook. I’m the Founder of Flavor Mosaic, as well as the author and content creator. I share fast, easy, flavorful recipes with bold flavors, featuring Instant Pot and Air Fryer recipes and Italian, Southern and Mexican cuisines. Contact: [email protected].
Definitely double the dressing recipe if you are going to serve the following day as a leftover. The first day, awesome, second day it had really dried out. Overall, delicious recipe!
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for your question. You could use an equal amount of granulated sugar or maple syrup (which might change the flavor slightly). You could also substitute a sugar substitute, such as Swerve or sweet and low.
Thanks,
Michele
This is a great summer pasta salad. I am vegan, so I make a Feta cheese from Tofu, so I used that instead of real cheese. I really like the combination and the dressing. The honey adds just an ounce of sweetness. Will be making this again.
Cindy says
I loved adding in all the veggies. So good!
Allyssa says
This is a great recipe! It’s really helpful and tasted amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this! Highly recommended!
Toots says
Amazing. Perfectly light and refreshing for a hot day. Didn’t change a thing, wouldn’t change a thing!
Colleen says
Definitely double the dressing recipe if you are going to serve the following day as a leftover. The first day, awesome, second day it had really dried out. Overall, delicious recipe!
Tamara says
Does it have to be fresh corn??
Michele says
No, if you don’t have fresh corn, you can used canned or frozen that has been thawed.
Kristen says
What could you use to sub the honey
Michele says
Hi Kristen,
Thanks for your question. You could use an equal amount of granulated sugar or maple syrup (which might change the flavor slightly). You could also substitute a sugar substitute, such as Swerve or sweet and low.
Thanks,
Michele
JE says
This is a great summer pasta salad. I am vegan, so I make a Feta cheese from Tofu, so I used that instead of real cheese. I really like the combination and the dressing. The honey adds just an ounce of sweetness. Will be making this again.
Michele says
Hi JE,
I’m so glad you like the Orzo Salad. It’s a summer favorite of ours. Thanks for the nice comment.
Michele