Greek Salad with Orzo

If you love cucumbers, tomatoes, and pasta, this Greek salad with orzo is the recipe for you!

Traditionally made with feta, Greek salad is a dish with origins in the Mediterranean and loved around the world. We swap out the feta for orzo pasta to make this recipe completely plant-based. However, feel free to add feta to this recipe or try a plant-based alternative, like this vegan feta cheese from A Virtual Vegan.

To make this recipe, dice up fresh plum tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, chilis, green pepper, and onion. Add them to a large mixing bowl with cooked orzo and minced garlic. In a cup, combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, agave nectar, paprika, salt, and pepper. Add this mixture to your salad and give everything a big toss. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

One bite of this salad will have you asking, “who needs feta anyway?!”

Starting with the right veggies

To fully enjoy this recipe, we recommend choosing only the ripest of vegetables. Your tomatoes should be bright red, and your cucumbers firm to the touch. Greek salad always tastes best when fresh.

Since moving to Cyprus, I’ve been able to enjoy garden fresh veggies at the peak of ripeness thanks to the warm Mediterranean climate. Every weekend, Tom and I go to the farmers market in the old city and stock up on vegetables for the coming week.

I am so grateful for the gift of healthy, fresh food. I must admit I make this salad almost everyday as a snack!

Starting with the right vegetables is the first step in making our Greek salad with orzo. Next, we move onto fresh cooked orzo pasta.

Orzo in Greek Salad?

We know, it sounds kind of crazy. If you’re a purist you might just hate this recipe. While we understand Greek salads are traditionally made with feta, we chose to swap it for orzo pasta.

This small and savory pasta provides body and structure to the salad. It also offers a mild flavor that compliments the intensity of the fresh vegetables.

We also add soy sauce and paprika to the base, which isn’t found in most traditional recipes.

One of my favorite parts of being plant-based is trying out new combinations and recipes that go against tradition and embrace the dynamic nature of food. Though we take a few steps away from an authentic Greek salad, we hope you enjoy our spin. You can still add feta if you like!

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Greek Salad With Orzo

Recipe Author: Gabby Pogel

A plant-based spin on a traditional recipe. We swapped feta for pasta to vegan-ize this dish loved around the world. Greek salad with orzo is a customizable, easy to make recipe perfect for the summer months when vegetables are fresh, plentiful, and delicious.

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl

Ingredients  

• 1 cup orzo cooked according to package instructions

• 2 – 4 medium – large tomatoes

• 2 – 3 cloves minced garlic

• 2 medium – large cucumbers

• 1 – 2 chilis

• 1/2 red onion

• 1 green pepper

• kalamata olives

Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp agave nectar warmed

• ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 1 tsp soy sauce

• 1 tsp paprika

• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

1. Cook orzo according to package instructions. When done, allow to cool.

2. Dice all of your vegetables and add them to a large mixing bowl with the orzo. Add freshly minced garlic.

3. Warm your agave nectar for a few seconds in the microwave. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, agave nectar, paprika, salt and pepper in a cup and mix together.

4. Add sauce to vegetables and orzo and mix until well combined.

5. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Enjoy!

Notes

• Feel free to add or remove any vegetables you like

• Warming the agave slightly makes it easier to mix with the other sauce ingredients

• Choose the ripest vegetables you can for this recipe

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