I have been on a mediterranean kick lately and I’m honestly loving it. I love simple and fresh ingredient dishes like this orzo mediterranean salad for the summer. It’s perfect to make ahead for lunch or even a light dinner. Also would be great for a bbq. You can add any veggies to it you like, I kept it simple and used all the basic ingredients in a greek salad. Also I left the amount of feta cheese you want on there up to, because I’m not going to tell you how to live your life.😜 IF you really want to make this really healthy then substitute the orzo with quinoa or barley!
When we visited Greece, the thing I loved most about their food was how fresh it was–every meal felt hearty but light. Any chance I get, I try to make lots of dishes inspired from that trip in the summer. Come on, let’s be honest who wants to be next to a stove for hours in the summer, not this girl for sure!
I hope you guys enjoy this, please share and tag @zheelicious whenever you make it. I love seeing your feedback, and makes me feel like my hard work is being paid off 🤗
Stay happy, stay hungry!
| Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Total time: 20minutes | Makes: 4 servings |
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, deseeded and diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 pepper (any color), diced
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives (optional)
- Crumbled feta cheese (optional)
Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (good quality)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp parsley, dried
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tbsp red crush prepper
- 1 tsp agave or honey
- 1 tbsp fresh dill (you can use dry as well)
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Directions:
- Cook the orzo according to package directions
Once drained add in a bowl and drizzle a little bit of olive oil to prevent it from sticking.
- In a blender mix all the ingredients for the lemon vinaigrette
Blend until everything is incorporated.
- Add all the chopped veggies to the orzo.
Drizzle the vinaigrette on top and mix well.
- Top with feta cheese.
- Serve it warm or cold!
- Top it with your favorite toppings and serve hot!
Notes:
- You can sub bullion cubes or better than bouillon paste for veg. Broth.
- For stovetop: follow all the same steps then let it boil for 10-15 minutes after adding the broth. Stirring occasionally.
- Use Mexican blend or cheddar cheese instead of cotija
- You can also add tortilla chips or strips as a crunchy topping
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