Mediterranean Orzo Pesto Salad

5 from 2 votes

Mediterranean orzo salad with pesto is a bright flavorful summer salad with fresh cucumbers, artichokes, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and feta cheese in a lemon pesto mayo dressing. Perfect for a summer BBQ or picnic.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 267kcal

Author: Cara Lanz

Ingredients

16 oz. orzo
14 oz. artichokes in water, drained and chopped
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 English cucumber, chopped
½ cup kalamata olives, sliced
½ cup crumbled feta
6 sliced green onions

Pesto Dressing

¾ cup pesto
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a big pinch of salt. Boil the orzo according to package instructions to about a minute past al dente.
Drain the pasta in a colander with small holes (those small pieces of pasta can fall through larger holes) and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process.
In a very large bowl, add the orzo, artichokes, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, most of the green onions and most of the feta cheese (reserve a little feta and green onion for topping).
In a small bowl, whisk together the pesto, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
Add the mayo pesto sauce to the orzo mixture and gently toss until combined.
Sprinkle the remaining feta cheese and green onions on top. This pesto orzo salad can be served chilled or at room temperature.
Store leftover orzo pasta salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Notes

Use a really big bowl for tossing this salad! Like, a realllllly big one!

After you cook and drain the orzo, run cold water over it to stop the cooking process and cool it down.

You can use store-bought pesto or fresh pesto in this easy orzo salad.

Nutrition