Cucumber Lemon Orzo Salad
Cucumber lemon orzo salad is a light, refreshing pasta salad packed with crisp cucumbers, bright lemon flavor, fresh herbs and crumbled feta cheese. It’s an easy, fresh spin on pasta salad that’s perfect for cookouts, lunches, potlucks, or light summer dinners.
Sometimes pasta salad feels sort of heavy, especially the ones with mayonnaise based dressing or lots of meats.
And on the hottest of hot days, I like to eat light, bright, fresh flavors.
Like the flavors of bright lemon and fresh herbs in this light cucumber lemon orzo salad.
The crisp cucumbers, sweet bite of red onions and tart lemon dressing keep the salad light and refreshing.
Meanwhile the orzo makes it filling enough to actually satisfy hungry people.
And, it’s easy!
You just need to stir the ingredients together and it’s ready to.
It’s also a great make ahead option because the flavors get even better after chilling in the fridge for a bit.
Pretty heavy lifting for a nice light orzo salad!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Orzo pasta– An 8 ounce package.
- Oil– Extra virgin olive oil. Don’t substitute another oil because this is the base of the dressing.
- Lemon juice– Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Lemon zest
- Red onion– A small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced.
- Cucumbers– Diced Persian cucumbers. They are smaller and sweeter than other varieties of cucumbers and have thinner skin.
- Fresh herbs– Chopped fresh dill and chopped fresh Italian parsley.
- Salt and pepper– To taste.
- Feta cheese– Crumbled.
How to Make
This cucumber lemon orzo salad is so easy to make!
Just cook the orzo per the package directions to ‘al dente’ which should be about 8-10 minutes.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and run under cold water until it’s cool to the touch.
Make sure it is drained completely and then transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
Stir the oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest into the orzo until it’s all evenly combined.
Gently toss the onion, cucumbers, dill, and parsley to the orzo mixture until everything’s combined.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately, and garnish with crumbled feta cheese on top.
Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips and Tricks
- For colder pasta, cover and chill for 2 hours.
- Want to fill it out more? Add other Mediterranean veggies into the salad. Particularly yummy additions would be chopped cherry or grape tomatoes, grilled eggplant, and pitted kalamata olives.
- Make it a complete meal and add a can of drained chickpeas for protein.
Other Light Pasta Salad Recipes
Cucumber lemon orzo salad is a fresh way to enjoy pasta salad with a Mediterranean twist.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other light pasta salad recipes?
Try these:
- Greek Rice Salad
- Lemon Basil Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Italian Pasta Salad
- Cold Spaghetti Salad
If you’ve tried this CUCUMBER LEMON ORZO SALAD, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Cucumber Lemon Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz pkg orzo pasta
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice fresh is recommended
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 small red onion peeled & thinly sliced
- 5-6 Persian cucumbers diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
- salt & pepper to taste
- crumbled feta cheese for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta per the package directions to 'al dente', about 8-10 minutes. Drain and run under cold water until it's cool to the touch. Drain completely then transfer to a large mixing bowl.1 8 oz pkg orzo pasta
- Add the oil, lemon juice, and zest to the pasta. Stir everything together until evenly combined.1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon zest
- Add the onion, cucumbers, dill, and parsley to the pasta. Gently toss until everything's evenly combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.1 small red onion, 5-6 Persian cucumbers, 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley, salt & pepper
- Serve immediately, and garnish with crumbled feta cheese on top.crumbled feta cheese
Notes
- For colder pasta, cover and chill for 2 hours.
- Want to fill it out more? Add other Mediterranean veggies into the salad. Particularly yummy additions would be chopped cherry or grape tomatoes, grilled eggplant, and pitted kalamata olives.
- Make it a complete meal and add a can of drained chickpeas for protein.
Nutrition
