Mediterranean Orzo Salad

olive oil

lemon, juiced

garlic,

salt and black pepper

orzo pasta

chickpeas, drained.

red grape or cherry tomatoes

yellow grape or cherry tomatoes

kalamata olives, halved

feta cheese, plus more for topping

parsley,

red onion, diced

For the dressing: In a jar or bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and some salt and pepper until totally combined.

For the salad: Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the orzo according to the package directions. Drain and let cool.

Place the orzo, chickpeas, red and yellow tomatoes, olives, feta, parsley and onions in a large mixing bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Stir to combine and taste; add salt and pepper if needed. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Top with more feta and parsley and serve as a main dish salad or with grilled chicken, fish or burgers!

I love Ree and Giada, so I don't care who made the salad first, IT'S FABULOUS.  Instead of putting chicken in the salad, as an option, we had rubbed chicken breast on the side.  Wonderful!!  We halved the recipe and it still made a lot.  This recipe would be great for pot luck, as a side for Thanksgiving or Christmas (colorful) or anytime you need a wonderful salad.  If you did add the chopped chicken to the salad it would be wonderful as a main dish.  The only change we made is that we used sweet onions instead of the red onions.  Sometimes red onions are too strong,  I understand they used it for color, but sweet onions worked out great.  I love green olives and black, but the kalamata olives give off a taste/fragrance that works well in this recipe.  It also adds a little oiliness to the recipe, which works out well before adding the dressing.  The olives help to keep the orzo separated.  If I was to make this recipe to serve at a later time, like at a pot luck or traveling for the holidays,  I would leave the dressing off and add it one hour before serving, like the recipe states.  I'm just saying this would be a great traveling recipe also.  Think tail gate parties, etc..

This has become my go to dish when I need to take something to a party or if I want lunch for the week.  I added the zest of the lemon into the dressing and it was great!  I can add chicken and have a great weeks worth of lunch!!!!!

So delicious! Great for picnics, lunches and leftovers, just add a sprinkle of olive oil if it gets too dry. I added a teaspoon of salt (total) and also a teaspoon of dried oregano and dried basil to give more flavor. A crowd-pleaser for sure.

This is always a wonderful salad. I used tri colored orzo and it wasn't nearly as attractive as plain white orzo. An extra sprinkle of feta on the top covered up my mistake. 

We love this , the only change I made to the entire recipe was to add a small amount of mustard to the dressing to help it emulsify. <br />

Good!! Love love the lemon and olive oil dressing. I used garbanzos in one pound and then made another full recipe with cannellini beans. Both turned out awesome. Good picnic salad. Might add chicken or shrimp next time in addition to the other ingredients.

<div>Ree,</div><div>This salad is yummy!  Knew I had to make it, when I saw you make it!</div><div>Thank you, once again, for something amazing to try!  Love ya!  </div><div><br /></div>

This is good, It's not to die for. I'd add a little more lemon juice -- like 1/4 cup next time. Salt is important to add, but don't put too much into the cooking water for the orzo, I think some orange bell pepper would be a nice addition, too. Maybe then it would be a four star recipe.

Awesome salad. Soo flavorful! Thank you Ree!<br />

https://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/mediterranean-orzo-salad-0242788

Ree fills her orzo salad with the sunny flavors of a Mediterranean holiday.

mediterranean orzo salad

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total: 1 hours, 35 minutes

Servings: 12

Cost: $2.39 /serving

Author : Ree Drummond : Food Network

Ingredients

Instructions

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