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5.0 from 45 votes

Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

Grab some sunny Mediterranean flavors with this easy orzo salad. Made with simple pantry staples, it's perfect for a quick lunch or side dish for your next meal.

Prep Time
20 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 204 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb orzo pasta, cooked in pleanty of salted water until al dente, and briefly rinsed in cold water.
  • 1/3 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and diced
  • 1/4 cup pimento, finely diced (or the contents of a small jar)
  • 1/3 cup diced red onion
  • 1/4 cup finely diced jalapeño pepper
  • 1/4 cup black olives, chopped
  • 1/2 cup canned chickpeas
  • 1/3 cup diced yellow bell pepper
  • 1/3 cup marinated sun dried tomatoes, chopped or thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup peperoncini peppers, diced
  • 1/2 cup diced feta cheese
creamy lemon dressing
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (I use this wonderful lemon olive oil)
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp creamy Dijon mustard
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Put all the cooked pasta in a large bowl. It's ok if it's still warm.
  2. Add the rest of the salad ingredients to the bowl.
  3. To make the dressing, put the ingredients in a small bowl or cup and use an immersion blender to blend into a creamy consistency. A wide mouth canning jar works perfectly for this. Taste and adjust if needed. Note: an immersion blender works best when you blend in a jar just a bit larger than the head of the blender.
  4. Toss the salad with enough dressing to moisten everything, but not drench it.
  5. Refrigerate the salad until chilled. When ready to serve, toss with more dressing and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Notes

  •  
  • My alligator chopper does a quick job of perfectly dicing my ingredients into small, same sized pieces, which makes my salad not only pretty, but easy to eat.

Nutrition Information

Calories 204kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 28g (9%) Protein 5g (10%) Fat 8g (12%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Sodium 158mg (7%) Potassium 143mg (4%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 222IU (4%) Vitamin C 23mg (26%) Calcium 17mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 204

% Daily Value*

Calories 204kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 28g 9%
Protein 5g 10%
Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 158mg 7%
Potassium 143mg 3%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 222IU 4%
Vitamin C 23mg 26%
Calcium 17mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.