Orzo Salad with Zucchini, Tomatoes, Olives and Feta (updated!)

Our Mediterranean Orzo salad, a robust dish packed with summer vegetables and zesty flavors like olives, capers and feta cheese, is the best accompaniment to a cookout or almost any warm-weather meal, and we’re going to explain why.

We originally wrote a version of this recipe in July 2014, and summers back then, kids, were occasionally wet and disappointing. At some point, they turned into the season-long heatwave they are now, and that’s why you have to wear 100SPF sunscreen, Jimmy.

Here’s the thing — grilling is still an absolutely essential part of the season. On Memorial Day, you’d better have your hot dogs and burger makings ready, because you aren’t going to want to use your oven until September. And we love a green salad. But soft-leafed greens, like us, wilt under a 90ºF sky, and nobody wants a sad, wilted salad plopped next to their hot dog. So what’s the solution?

Orzo, the pasta shaped like large grains of rice, is the perfect vehicle to mix up with the tastiest summer vegetables you have available. Not only will an orzo salad be fine in the summer heat, it’ll actually improve overnight in the refrigerator. The orzo and other ingredients will marinate in and absorb more of the dressing and result in a more flavorful salad. That makes it perfect for making even a few days ahead of time.

And we don’t skimp on the protein — our version contains both tart feta cheese and creamy cannellini beans — so you can make this orzo salad the main dish, and then skip having to grill those hot dogs and burgers (we still want them though).

Orzo Salad, but Mix Up the Veggies

We love the combination of vegetables in the recipe — crisp radishes, sweet tomatoes, tender caramelized zucchini — but you can tailor the salad to your own tastes. Once summer is in full swing we almost always have garden tomatoes and zucchini to hand, but other vegetables would work just as well. You could include raw or cooked sweet peppers, grilled corn, or blanched broccoli, peas or cauliflower. Pick a variety of flavors and colors, and you really can’t go wrong.

We don’t like raw zucchini, so we pan fry it in olive oil until it turns soft and golden brown. If you’re already heating up the grill for other things, you could slice it in strips and grill it until it gets a lovely char. Then chop it into manageable pieces before adding it to the salad. However you decide to cook it, set it aside until it’s slightly cooled before mixing it into the salad.

…

Orzo salad, but make it without orzo

One of the things we love about using orzo in this salad is that it takes on great flavor from the dressing, but unlike a heavy pasta salad, it lets the vegetables take center stage. It works equally well with either refined or whole wheat orzo, whichever you prefer.

But orzo is not the only option. You can use many pastas and grains — the recipe is almost infinitely adaptable. Grains like farro or wheatberries would be great; or you can pick a different pasta such as pearl couscous (and here’s another salad we love that in), or you can use quinoa, which is neither a pasta nor a grain.

Other grain-like pastas include Ditalini, acini di pepe, fregola, orecchiette, and stelline. Even alphabet pasta or miniature shells would be great here. We recommend that you cook the pasta al dente, so that it’s fully cooked, but will still have a little firmness and won’t fall apart when marinating in the dressing.

tips for the perfect Vinaigrette

Just because something is simple, doesn’t mean it can’t be done well. We take a couple of techniques from Samin Nosrat and Yotam Ottolenghi that give this dressing tons of flavor, without it being overwhelming.

The first tip is to finely chop some red onion or shallot, put it in a fine-mesh sieve, and rinse it with cold water. Give it a little shake to get the excess water out, then add it to a medium bowl. Add in the vinegar, a clove of grated or minced garlic and a tablespoon of warm water. Let this mixture sit for about 5 or so minutes, while you get the other ingredients together.

Why this helps: rinsing the red onion in cold water dilutes the sulfur compounds that are released when onions are chopped. This removes a lot of that sharp bite that can be unpleasant in raw onion. Secondly, the acidity in the vinegar helps to tame the pungency of both the raw garlic and onion, resulting in a more mellow and balanced flavor.

So lots of flavor, and no uncomfortable … oniony garlicky burps.

Once the onion and garlic have a chance to mellow in the vinegar, you can whisk in the olive oil, honey and mustard. Season it with salt and pepper, and give it a taste. It should be quite tart, which enhances ingredients like pasta and beans, but feel free to add a little more olive oil if it’s too sharp for you.

Once you’ve cooked the orzo and drained it well, add it to a large bowl and stir in half the dressing while the pasta is still warm. This helps the pasta absorb more flavor than if it were cold.

Once the orzo cools, add the vegetables, olives and crumbled feta. Give it a toss, taste it, and add as much of the other half of the dressing as you like. If you’re serving it right away, transfer it to a serving bowl or platter, and sprinkle over the fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon. If you’re making it ahead of time, you can refrigerate it for 2 or 3 days, then let it come to room temperature before topping it with the herbs.

what type of feta is best?

If you’ve only tried pre-crumbled feta from the supermarket, you might not be familiar with the full range of feta types, all with different flavors and textures. If you have a Greek market, or good cheese shop in your area, it’s worth trying a few varieties to see which you like best.

Our favorites are Greek Feta, which is typically made with sheep’s milk (sometimes with goat’s milk up to 30%) and aged in brine. It’s salty, tangy, and has a slightly crumbly texture. Also French Feta, which is usually made with 100% sheep’s milk. French feta is less salty, and has a milder, creamier flavor and texture. Other good options are Bulgarian, Danish and American.

The Recipe