Orzo Salad with Spinach
Best Orzo Salad with Spinach is made with some of your favorite Mediterranean flavors. It is very light, fresh and loaded with ribbons of fresh spinach, tender semolina orzo, juicy olives, and feta cheese. Tossed with a tangy vinaigrette, making this orzo salad so flavorful – it’s a crowd pleaser!
Best Orzo Salad with Spinach
Every time we serve this Best Orzo Salad with Spinach, everyone raves about it! Fresh ingredients lend a wonderful depth of savory flavors. The kalamata olives along with the feta cheese and spinach add additional bold flavors to this salad. Plus, the vinaigrette ties it all together, making this salad truly AMAZING!
Everyone loves a good salad and this one is delicious. There’s no mayo in this salad, keeping it light, fresh and healthy. Ideal salad to make all summer long, great for BBQ’s and picnics. Take it to the beach as well. It’s not a salad that will get soggy.
This orzo salad is also great because you can easily meal prep for lunch during the week. Add some protein to the salad, like chickpeas, tofu, grilled chicken or shrimp.
If you love orzo salads, then try our Orzo Radishes and Cucumber Salad, and don’t miss our one skillet dinner for Orzo Pasta with Zucchini & Tomato. Plus, for more easy pasta salads, don’t miss our Tortellini and Broccoli Salad, Easy Italian Macaroni Salad, and Easy Pasta Salad with Bocconcini. These are all our readers favorites!
Simple, yet very tasty, this orzo salad with spinach is one you’ll want to make all year long! 😉
Reasons You’ll Love this Orzo Salad with Spinach:
- Fresh and Flavorful: Loaded with flavor, it’s quick to whip up and chilled before serving.
- Make Ahead: This orzo salad is not only easy but it’s an ideal make-ahead salad! Make it in the morning or the night before, it’s gets better as it marinates.
- Versatile: Ideal salad to be served alone, or as a side dish to complement any main dish at brunch, lunch, or dinner. You can eat it alone, too.
- Easy to Travel: A delightful salad to bring to barbecues, potluck, and even picnics.
- Ideal Side Dish: This fresh-tasting salad will go perfectly with grilled seafood, chicken, and meats.
- Budget-Friendly: When you make this salad yourself, it is fresher and more cost-effective!
What is Orzo?
Orzo is a very small Italian pasta shaped and looks similar to rice grains. Orzo is made from semolina flour, which is durum wheat and it cooks quickly. It’s a tiny pasta, similar to pastina (which comes in different shapes) and it is popular in Italian cuisine.
We love orzo and have been cooking with it for years. It’s not only great for salads, but we use it in our soups, like our lemon orzo soup, and for pasta dishes, such as marry me chicken & orzo (one skillet). The possibilities with orzo are endless.
The Back Story…
A few years ago, my daughter Lizzy discovered this delicious orzo salad at Whole Foods and quickly fell in love with it, buying it often. To save her both money and trips to the store, I decided to make it myself… and I’m happy to say, I nailed it!
Ingredients You Will Need for Orzo Salad with Spinach
For our orzo salad, you will need the following ingredients:
- kalamata olives
- feta cheese
- fresh baby spinach
- garlic
- red onion
- extra virgin olive oil
- white balsamic vinegar
- orzo pasta
How to Make Orzo Salad?
This orzo salad is a crowd pleaser and you can make it in no time. Follow our simple steps below. Keep in mind, our full recipe card is located at the bottom of this page.
- COOK THE ORZO: The only thing you will need to cook with this recipe, of course, is the orzo pasta! Cook the orzo in boiling salted water in a medium-sized pot. Keep in mind, that orzo pasta takes a few minutes to cook and for it to come to a tender bite. Then drain.
- CHOP & SLICE: Prep all the rest of the ingredients. Roll a few spinach leaves together and thinly slice them to make these little ribbons. Then chop the kalamata olives into pieces, and dice the red onion into small pieces. Once the orzo pasta is ready, the rest of the ingredients are added.
- ADD THE VINAIGRETTE: Make our simple vinaigrette, then toss everything and chill before serving.
Notes and Tips for Success!
- Do not overcook the orzo pasta. Keep the pasta al dente, or you will end up with a mushy texture and it will not be good.
- No need to add a ton of ingredients to achieve the texture and flavors with this one. This orzo salad is simple yet it offers a wonderful balance of flavors!
- Add the dressing while orzo is still warm. Orzo has a tendency to become sticky and will stick together, it’s best to add the dressing while it’s still warm, so it will absorb it and become more flavorful.
- Plus, for our gluten-free friends, make this salad using Gluten-Free Orzo! It will taste the same!
- Best to chill the orzo salad and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes or more before serving. This will allow all the ingredients to infuse together, making it much more flavorful.
FAQ’s
- Can we make it ahead? Yes! Best orzo salad with spinach is easy enough to make a day in advance for a party, or a luncheon and serve when guests arrive.
- How long will this salad stay fresh? This orzo salad will stay fresh for up to 4 days. So you can eat it for days!
- Can we add additional veggies into this orzo salad? Yes, you can. You can add in chopped cherry tomatoes, and diced baby cucumbers.
- Will leftovers still be good? It is SO good, it’s perfect to take it with you to work for lunch the next day, and for additional 2 days after that.
- Can we meal prep this salad? Make a bigger batch for meal prep, and keep it sealed in an air-tight container.
- How to Store? Keep the salad in a sealed container and the fridge. It will stay fresh for up to 4 days. After that, you’ll want to make a fresh batch.
- Can we Freeze it? I rarely freeze our salads. We don’t recommend freezing it.
More Easy Healthy Salads You’ll Love!
Best Orzo Salad with Spinach
Best Orzo Salad with Spinach is light, refreshing, and tastes amazing with a mix of savory flavors all in one bite! Loaded with ribbons of fresh spinach, semolina orzo pasta, kalamata olives, and feta cheese, and tossed with a delicious vinaigrette, makes this orzo salad with spinach the Best Orzo Salad EVER!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (8-ounce) orzo pasta
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup red onion - minced
- 1 garlic clove - minced or crushed
- 1/4 cup celery - minced
- 2 to 3 handfuls of baby spinach (discard large stems) -rolled and sliced into ribbons
- 2 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
- 4 kalamata olives, pits removed - minced
- fresh black pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
- Fill a medium-sized saucepan with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water and bring to a full boil. Add the orzo pasta and cook the orzo according to the directions on the box, or until it is tender to the bite. Do not overcook the pasta, or you will end up with a mushy orzo that's not good for this salad.
- Drain, and run under cool water for a few seconds to stop the cooking. Drain well. Then transfer orzo to a mixing bowl.
- Add all the rest of the ingredients and toss until it is well combined. Taste the salad, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to a salad bowl, cover with clear wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Best served chilled and stays fresh for up to 4 days.
- Serves 4 to 5
Notes
- You can add as much baby spinach as desired.
- Do not overcook the orzo pasta. Keep the pasta al dente, or you will end up with a mushy texture and it will not be good.
- No need to add a ton of ingredients to achieve the texture and flavors with this one. This orzo salad is simple yet it offers a wonderful balance of flavors!
- Add the dressing while orzo is still warm. Orzo has a tendency to become sticky and will stick together, it's best to add the dressing while it's still warm, so it will absorb it and become more flavorful.
- Plus, for our gluten-free friends, make this salad using Gluten-Free Orzo! It will taste the same!
- Best to chill the orzo salad and allow it to marinate for at least 30 minutes or more before serving. This will allow all the ingredients to infuse together, making it much more flavorful.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 to 5 servings Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 198Total Fat: 7.8gSaturated Fat: 1.6gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 89mgCarbohydrates: 26.2gProtein: 5.8g
Don’t forget! Are you cooking with us? If you make our Best Orzo Salad with Spinach recipe, let us know and leave a comment and a star rating on our recipe card. We’d love to hear from you! It helps all our readers who read comments, and it helps us too!
Happy and Healthy Cooking! 🙂
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It’s nice to enjoy a lighter recipe and orzo certainly works perfectly! Thanks for sharing and Happy Valentine’s Day coming up!
xoxo
We agree Roz thanks so much! Happy Valentine’s to you as well! 🙂
I love orzo/spinach salads! This one sounds wonderful!
Thanks so much Susan. This one is definitely a keeper! Have a great weekend!