The Creamy Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Homemade Tzatziki Dressing is a staple in our pasta salad rotation. It’s the perfect dish filled with Greek salad favorites and dressed with an easy tzatziki dressing made in 5 minutes.
I love Greek Salad! And this Greek salad-inspired orzo pasta salad is a family staple. It is perfect for summer barbecues or a light meal of sorts. It’s great for a side dish or as a main. Especially with some grilled chicken or salmon on top. Plus the homemade Tzatziki dressing is not to be missed! It is so easy to make and takes just 5 minutes of effort.
Dishes like these are so great to have up your sleeve. They don’t require much time or effort but they are packed with flavor. Every time I make this for entertaining my friends want the recipe so naturally I had to share it on my website too! It is a must make for the pasta salad season and is great for a summer cookout to pair with some chicken or burgers.
What I love about this recipe though is the homemade Tzatziki dressing! I love Tzatziki so much. I use it in so many dishes. Not just this orzo salad. It is lemony, has just the right amount of dill and it is so good as a dressing with salad or to dip some pita chips into.
This orzo salad combo is to die for. The olives, peppers, feta cheese are all so good together. And the flavor is too good. I did leave out red onion but you can add some in if you wanted to.
I cannot wait to hear what you think of this recipe. Keep me posted if you make it and what you think!! Especially with my Tzatziki sauce. It is too good!
What ingredients you need to make Greek Orzo Salad:
- Gluten-free orzo, or use regular orzo if not gluten-free
- Seedless cucumbers – you can use seedless large or mini cumber for this
- Cherry tomatoes – halved or in quarters, whichever you prefer
- Kalamata olives – pitted olives work
- Roasted red peppers – I love this addition. It’s not traditionally in Greek salad but it sure is good!
- Feta cheese – I like to use the feta cheese crumbles for this!
- Yogurt – I like to use greek yogurt for this but you can use anything you’d like
- Lemon – a mix of lemon juice and lemon zest works for this
- Garlic cloves – freshly minced garlic cloves works
- Fresh dill – I add this to the tzatziki dressing
- Olive oil – I like to use this for the dressing in the salad
How to make Greek Orzo Pasta with this homemade dressing:
- Cook the orzo per instructions and set aside
- Let the the orzo cool and start making the dressing but adding ingredients together and set aside
- Add the orzo and toppings to a large bowl and then dress with desired amount of tzatziki sauce and enjoy!
FAQs and tips on making this Greek Orzo Pasta Salad:
- How do you typically serve this? On its own for a lighter meal or as a side for dinner. It’s great for lunch with some chicken on top too! I like to add some arugula when I make it for a meal.
- Can I add more protein to this? Yes! Some grilled salmon, chicken or any protein you’d like. You can even do rotisserie chicken if you want to save time.
- Do I have to use gluten-free orzo? Nope! If you’re not gluten-free, you can use any orzo you’d like in this dish.
- Can this be prepped ahead of time? Yup! Just add the dressing right before serving so it doesn’t get soggy.
A few other delicious salad recipes to try:
The Viral La Scala Chopped Salad
Greek Chicken Salad Without Mayo
5- minute High-Protein Caesar Salad Dressing
Make the Barbuto Kale Salad at Home
PrintCreamy Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Homemade Tzatziki Dressing
The Creamy Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Homemade Tzatziki Dressing is a staple in our pasta salad rotation. It’s the perfect dish filled with Greek salad favorites and dressed with an easy tzatziki dressing made in 5 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
Yield: Serves 4-5 1x
Ingredients
Orzo salad:
- 8 ounces gluten-free orzo, or use regular orzo if not gluten-free
- 2 mini seedless cucumbers
- 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 kalamata olives, pitted
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
- 3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbles
Homemade Tzatziki dressing:
- 2 mini seedless cucumbers, grated (about 1/2 cup + squeeze moisture out)
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 lemon, zest
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the orzo per instructions and set aside
- Let the the orzo cool and start making the dressing but adding ingredients together and set aside
- Add the orzo and toppings to a large bowl and then dress with desired amount of tzatziki sauce and enjoy!
Notes
*Store leftovers in fridge for 5 days. If prepping ahead of time then dress before eating or serving!