Healthy Orzo Salad with Feta, Chickpeas & Lemon

There are some days when I open the fridge, look at what’s in there and wonder how I can possibly turn a random collection of vegetables into something that resembles a proper lunch. I don’t particularly want to spend an hour cooking, but I also don’t want to eat something that leaves me rummaging around the cupboards half an hour later.

That’s where this healthy orzo salad comes in. It’s made with little rice-shaped pieces of pasta, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives and feta, all mixed together with a homemade lemon and olive oil dressing. It’s colourful, full of different flavours and textures, and you can make it ahead for lunch or serve it alongside other dishes at a barbecue.

I think the combination of feta, olives and lemon makes it feel a little bit Mediterranean, although you certainly don’t need to be sitting somewhere sunny to enjoy it. Unfortunately, making a bowl of pasta salad doesn’t automatically improve the British weather, but we can live in hope!

What makes this orzo salad so good?

One of the things I like about this salad is that it feels like a proper meal rather than a bowl of lettuce with a few bits thrown on top.

The orzo gives it some substance, the chickpeas add protein and fibre, and the cucumber and tomatoes keep it fresh. Then you’ve got the salty feta and olives, which work really nicely with the lemon dressing.

It’s also a useful recipe when you’re preparing lunches in advance because you can make the salad, refrigerate it and portion it out as needed.

And although it looks like quite a lot of ingredients when they’re all written down, most of the preparation is simply chopping vegetables and mixing everything together.

Ingredients for healthy orzo salad

This recipe makes four portions.

For the salad

• 1½ cups dry orzo pasta
• 1 can cooked chickpeas, drained
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 mini cucumbers, diced
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
• 6oz feta cheese, crumbled
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

For the lemon dressing

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

You can use standard orzo or try wholewheat if you can find it. If you need a gluten-free option, make sure you choose a product specifically labelled gluten-free rather than assuming all orzo is suitable.

How to make orzo salad

Start by bringing a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.

Add the orzo and cook according to the packet instructions until it’s tender but still has a little bite. Drain it and cool it promptly before making the salad.

While the orzo is cooking, prepare the vegetables. Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the cucumbers, finely chop the red onion and slice the olives if they aren’t already sliced.

Put the cooked and cooled orzo into a large salad bowl with the drained chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives, crumbled feta and chopped parsley.

For the dressing, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl or clean jam jar. Whisk or shake until everything is combined.

Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss everything together. You want the dressing coating the ingredients without squashing all those lovely tomatoes.

Taste the salad and decide whether you’d like a little more lemon or black pepper.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving, giving everything time to chill and the flavours to come together.

What is orzo?

Orzo is a type of pasta that looks rather like large grains of rice.

It’s made from wheat unless you buy a specially made alternative, so despite its appearance, it isn’t rice and isn’t naturally gluten-free.

I like it for salads because the little pieces mix easily with chopped vegetables and dressing, which means you’re not trying to balance an enormous piece of pasta, half a cucumber and a chickpea on your fork.

If you’ve never cooked it before, my what is orzo and how to cook it guide explains more about cooking times, portion sizes and how it compares with rice.

Can I use wholewheat orzo?

Yes, if you can find it.

Wholewheat orzo generally provides more fibre than standard white orzo, so it’s worth trying if you enjoy wholewheat pasta.

You don’t have to use it, though. Standard orzo works perfectly well in this recipe and you can still include plenty of vegetables and chickpeas.

I’d choose whichever you actually enjoy eating because there’s not much point preparing a supposedly healthier lunch if you don’t like it.

Why add chickpeas to orzo salad?

Chickpeas are one of my favourite things to add to salads because they’re easy to keep in the cupboard and don’t require much preparation when you buy them canned.

They provide some protein and fibre, and their mild flavour works well with the feta, olives and lemon dressing.

Just drain them before adding them to the salad.

If you’re not keen on chickpeas, you could experiment with mixed beans instead, although that would change the finished recipe.

Which tomatoes and cucumbers should I use?

The recipe uses two cups of cherry tomatoes and three mini cucumbers.

Cherry tomatoes are particularly handy because you can simply halve them, and they bring plenty of colour to the finished salad.

I like cucumber in pasta salads because it adds a lovely fresh crunch alongside the softer orzo and chickpeas.

There’s no need to peel the mini cucumbers unless you prefer them that way. Just wash them before chopping.

Do I need to use Kalamata olives?

Kalamata olives have a lovely rich, slightly salty flavour that goes really well with feta.

The recipe uses half a cup, pitted and sliced.

If you’re not an olive fan, you could leave them out, although the salad won’t have quite the same flavour.

I know olives are one of those ingredients people tend to either absolutely love or want nowhere near their dinner, so I won’t take it personally if they’re not for you!

Can I use a different cheese instead of feta?

Feta is a really nice choice here because its salty, tangy flavour works well with the lemon dressing and fresh vegetables.

You could try a reduced-fat feta if you prefer, or experiment with a suitable vegan feta-style alternative.

Mozzarella would make a milder version, although it would taste quite different.

If you’re vegetarian, remember to check that the feta you buy is made with vegetarian rennet. Traditional feta may not be suitable for vegetarians, so don’t assume every packet is.

How to make the lemon dressing

The dressing is made with extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and black pepper.

There’s nothing complicated about it, which is exactly how I like my salad dressings!

Put everything into a bowl and whisk, or use a clean jam jar with a secure lid and give it a good shake.

The recipe uses a quarter of a cup of olive oil, which might be more than you’d expect if you’re used to making very low-fat dressings, but it is the measured amount for this recipe.

I’d recommend trying it as written before deciding whether you want to experiment with less oil next time.

Is this orzo salad healthy?

It contains pasta, chickpeas, vegetables, feta, olives and an olive oil dressing, so you’re getting a mixture of carbohydrates, protein, fats and fibre.

For me, that’s more useful than deciding whether a recipe deserves a big green tick for being healthy.

When I was losing weight, I spent a lot of time thinking about whether individual ingredients were allowed or whether I should be making everything as low in calories as possible. These days I’m much more interested in making meals I actually enjoy and finding a balance that works for me.

This salad is quite substantial, and the chickpeas and feta make it different from a pasta salad that contains little more than pasta and a few tomatoes.

If you’re curious about the pasta itself, I’ve written more about whether pasta is healthy and why it doesn’t need to be something you automatically avoid.

Is orzo salad suitable for Slimming World?

If you’ve found this recipe while searching for Slimming World orzo salad, you can certainly look at adapting it to fit your plan.

The ingredients you’ll particularly want to check are the olive oil, feta and olives, along with the particular orzo product you’re using.

This recipe contains a quarter of a cup of olive oil and 6oz of feta across four portions, so it’s important to account for the actual quantities rather than assuming everything in a salad is automatically free or low in Syns.

Slimming World values and allowances change, so use the current information from your app or official materials rather than relying on older calculations online.

I wouldn’t remove all the ingredients that give this salad its flavour simply to call it Syn free, but you can make your own choices about which products and quantities work for you.

I’ve got lots more ideas in my Slimming World pasta recipes collection if you’d like to have a browse.

Can I make orzo salad ahead for lunch?

Yes, and that’s one of the things that makes this recipe useful.

You can make it in advance, refrigerate it and take a portion for lunch the following day.

If you’re making it ahead, you might prefer to keep the dressing separate until shortly before eating so the vegetables retain a little more crunch.

However you prepare it, keep the salad properly chilled rather than leaving cooked pasta sitting out for hours.

How long does orzo salad keep in the fridge?

Store the salad in a covered container in the fridge and eat it promptly.

The original recipe suggests up to three days, but the important thing is that the orzo has been cooled quickly and the salad has been stored properly.

Fresh cucumber, tomatoes and herbs will also lose some of their texture as the salad sits, so I think this is nicest when it’s reasonably fresh.

If you’re taking it to work or on a picnic, use a cool bag with ice packs if you won’t have access to a fridge.

Can I freeze orzo salad?

I wouldn’t recommend freezing this particular salad.

Although cooked orzo can be frozen, fresh cucumber and tomatoes aren’t likely to have the same texture once thawed, and the feta may change too.

I’d make this one fresh or prepare it a little in advance rather than deliberately batch cooking it for the freezer.

What can I add to orzo salad?

There are lots of ways you could experiment with this recipe once you’ve made the original version.

If you’d like more vegetables, you could add some cooked peas, roasted red peppers or a handful of spinach.

Fresh mint, basil or dill would give it a different flavour from the parsley.

You could try swapping the feta for mozzarella, or add a few toasted pumpkin seeds or pine nuts for some crunch.

For a more substantial meal, you could add extra beans or another protein source you enjoy.

I wouldn’t throw all these additions in at once, though, because the original combination of orzo, chickpeas, feta, olives and lemon works nicely without needing half the contents of the supermarket added to it.

Is this a good salad for a barbecue or picnic?

Yes, it’s a lovely alternative to the usual potato salad or coleslaw.

It can be served alongside other dishes, and because it’s made with pasta and chickpeas, it feels a bit more substantial than a bowl of leaves.

I’d prepare it ahead, keep it refrigerated and take it out when you’re ready to serve.

If it’s a warm day, don’t leave it sitting on the picnic table for hours. Put it back into a cool bag or fridge when people have finished serving themselves.

Orzo salad FAQs

Can I use rice instead of orzo?

You could make a similar salad with cooked rice, but it would be a different recipe and you’d need to follow the appropriate cooking and food-safety guidance for rice.

Is orzo salad gluten-free?

Not when made with traditional wheat orzo. You would need a suitable gluten-free alternative and should check the other ingredients too.

Can I make this orzo salad vegan?

You could experiment with a vegan feta-style cheese or leave the feta out, although the flavour and nutritional profile would change.

Is this orzo salad vegetarian?

It can be, provided you choose feta made with vegetarian rennet and check any other packaged ingredients.

How many people does this orzo salad serve?

The recipe makes four portions, although the amount you serve will naturally depend on whether it’s a main lunch or a side dish.

Do I need to cook the chickpeas?

No, the recipe uses canned cooked chickpeas. Drain them and they’re ready to add.

Can I use bottled lemon juice?

Fresh lemon juice is what the recipe uses, and I’d recommend it for the intended flavour.

More pasta salad recipes

If you like making lunches in advance, have a look through my pasta salad recipes for more ideas.

My Greek pasta salad is another good choice if you love feta and olives, while my tomato and mozzarella pasta salad is lovely for summer.

There’s also my high-protein pasta salad guide if you’re looking for different ways to make your pasta salads more substantial.

And if you haven’t tried much orzo before, my orzo guide has plenty of useful information about how to cook it and how it compares with other pasta.

I think this is the sort of salad that’s handy to have in your collection because you can make it for lunch, put it out at a barbecue or prepare it ahead when you know you’ve got a busy day coming up.

And if you make it with a slightly different combination of ingredients, do let me know. I’m always interested in ideas for using up whatever happens to be lurking in the vegetable drawer!

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