This Greek-inspired vegan orzo salad recipe is the perfect summery meal. The lemon and herb infused orzo paired with the tangy olives, fresh cherry tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers will transport you to a Greek island. As a bonus, this beauty comes together in 20 minutes. It has a little California twist with added avocado which gives this orzo salad a fusion edge I think you'll love just as much as I do.
Why you’ll love this Greek orzo pasta salad recipe
- Made with super simple ingredients and lots of fresh vegetables
- Easy to make without gluten (just use gluten-free orzo!)
- Hearty enough to enjoy as a main meal
- Completely vegan recipe but tasty enough for the meat eaters, too
- Fantastic option for meal prep
- Makes the perfect side dish during the warm summer months
- Very simple recipe and ready to chill in about 20 minutes!
- Inspired by a trip to Greece with a friend of mine, where I fell in love with Mediterranean flavors (scroll to the end to read the full story)
Salad Ingredients
This veggie orzo relies on a balance of pantry staples and the summer's freshest produce. Feel free to adapt it with your favorite fresh veggies and raid the garden!
- Dry orzo: This rice-shaped pasta is perfect for dishes like this and quicks very quickly. Feel free to use other small pasta shapes, if you prefer.
- Persian cucumbers
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- Kalamata olives: For a salty, savory flavor that makes the dish more filling.
- Fresh avocado
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Maple syrup: For just a little sweetness to bring everything together.
- Fresh lemons: Nothing compares to fresh lemon juice! Feel free to use the lemon zest, too, if you want extra citrus flavor.
- Dry Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper
How to Make Vegan Mediterranean Orzo Salad
I promise - orzo salads are almost too easy. Since it cooks in just a few minutes, the entire dish is ready to serve (or rest) in about 20 minutes. So simple!
- Cook orzo pasta until al dente according to the package directions, then rinse with cold water and drain.
- Put the cooked orzo in a large bowl and add olive oil, pure maple syrup and the juice of lemons. Mix with hands to distribute evenly throughout pasta
- Add Persian cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, red onion and kalamata olives to bowl, salt lightly, drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive oil, a pinch of dried Italian seasoning and a few grinds of black pepper then mix into orzo with hands.
- Top with salted sliced avocado and a squeeze of lemon
Tips for Making the Best Vegan Greek Orzo Salad
- Make it more filling. If you want to enjoy this easy orzo salad as a main dish, consider adding some garbanzo beans to make it even more filling. You can also buy whole wheat orzo, which has extra fiber to keep you full for longer.
- Play around with different toppings. Raid the pantry and add other Mediterranean-style ingredients, if you'd like. Some options include artichoke hearts, pine nuts, fresh basil and parsley, sun-dried tomatoes, bell peppers, vegan feta cheese, etc. It can expand to absorb a lot of toppings and is very flexible!
- Use the lemon zest. Before you squeeze the lemons, get their zest for an extra pop of citrus flavor.
- Add some spice. Sprinkle your serving with a generous dash of red pepper flakes before serving for a nice crunch and heat.
FAQs
Refrigerate the mixture in an airtight container for 4-5 days. The flavors will become even more concentrated on the first couple of days, but then it will start to dry out.
No, it's not authentic, but it is inspired by my own trip to Greece with my friend Thalassa in the early 2000s. We ate lots of simple, rustic dishes with fresh lemons and herbs, braised chicken thighs, rice, olives, and more. I took different flavors and ingredients from that trip and adapted them in a California fusion-style salad with the avocados and maple syrup. Although it's not authentic, it's still incredibly delicious and always takes me back!
Orzo is actually a type of pasta that is the same approximate size and shape of a large grain of rice. Because it's a type of pasta, that also means it contains wheat and is not naturally gluten-free. However, it's becoming easier and easier to find gluten free versions of most cuts of pasta, and I've seen several types of gluten free orzo made from corn, rice, or chickpeas. You have lots of options!
Other Delicious Vegan Salad Recipes
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Greek-Inspired Vegan Orzo Salad
Equipment
- 1 bowl, 1 pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound orzo
- 4 each persian cucumbers chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ ea red onion chopped
- 10 ea calamata olives pitted and halved
- 1 ea avocado sliced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 2 ½ each lemons squeezed
- 1 pinch dry italian seasoning
- 1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook orzo pasta as directed, rinse with cold water and drain.
- Put Orzo in a large mixing bowl and add olive oil, pure maple syrup and the juice of lemons. Mix with hands to distribute evenly throughout pasta
- Add Persian cucumbers, halved cherry tomatoes, red onion and calamata olives to bowl, salt lightly, drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive oil, a pinch of dried Italian seasoning and a few grinds of black pepper then mix into orzo with hands.
- Top with salted sliced avocado and a squeeze of lemon
Nutrition
The story of this pasta dish (and my obsession with Mediterranean flavors)
In 2003 I met a great girl named Thalassa who is one of my favorite friends. Thalassa means ocean in Greek. She has eyes the color of the sea and the prettiest, fullest lips and the biggest, most infectious smile you've ever seen.
She's the daughter of an American woman named Toni and a Greek man named Yorgos. Her parents had a love affair for the books on the Isle of Paros in the 70s. Her parents, both remarkable people didn't stay together.
She was raised in California which is where we met and became fast friends. I spent many evenings at her Mother's home, cooking in her sprawling kitchen and eating al fresco on her deck overlooking the Berkeley hills. We'd sit sipping red wine, laughing, smoking and talking all night with her Mom.
In 2005ish I had the privilege of visiting Greece with Thal. We stayed in her father's home in the middle of Athens, Greece. Yorgos, her Dad, was as incredible as I had imagined. His apartment was equal parts modest and impressive and overlooked the Parthenon.
He was a working painter, a bachelor and lived a minimalist, bohemian lifestyle which I found fascinating. Yorgos cooked for us and we would eat on his veranda. His beautiful, simple, rustic dishes using fresh lemons and herbs, braised chicken thighs, rice, olives, peasant salads inspired me.
He riveted us with tales of his youth and his sage advice. I remember all the eyes looking at us through the darkness as all the stray animals surrounded his patio, hoping for a scrap and him throwing water and muttering profanities to disperse them as we cackled like witches, intoxicated by the novelty and the wine.
Later, Thal and I travelled by boat to a small island called Paros. The beaches were exquisitely beautiful. The food was fresh and rustic. Day drinking followed by a nap was not taboo. We spent our evenings at the Taverna by the ocean, and our mornings smoking and drinking coffee seaside. It was a beautiful and inspiring trip.
My trip to Greece inspired me. I started playing with the flavors I had enjoyed on my trip. I treasure the memory of that voyage and the friendship I forged with Thal and her family of delicious nonconformists. Over the years my fascination with Mediterranean foods and flavors has blossomed into an obsession. This Greek Inspired Orzo salad is like a bowl of Thalassa herself. Fresh, sweet, zesty, tart, slightly unorthodox and rich with color. I hope you try it.
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