Vegan Greek Orzo Salad

This vegan Greek orzo salad is a sure-fire hit for summer cookouts! With tender pasta, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, tofu feta and cucumber in a zesty vegan Greek vinaigrette, this salad makes a scrumptious side dish that also works great as a light summer main.

Last week about this time I posted a recipe for vegan feta cheese. This was long overdue, because feta was always my favorite cheese! But I didn't eat my feta plain (when anyone was watching at least). Most of the time my feta went into a big old Greek salad.

So I decided to share a vegan Greek salad recipe as well, but with a twist! Because I can never resist the temptation to put a twist on my already twisted vegan versions of dishes. Greek orzo salad it is!

Now, if you're a little annoyed that I didn't post a classic Greek salad recipe, just swap out the pasta for an appropriate amount of romaine lettuce. Or, go halfsies and use a mix of pasta and lettuce. But I have a few reasons for loving this salad with orzo.

First off, this is excellent summer potluck material. It's vegan, so some of the guests are the cookout are probably going to be a little nervous about trying it. And the feta cheese is made from tofu, so maybe actually lots of people will be scared to try it.

But then again, it has pasta. Everyone loves pasta. If there's one way to warm folks up to vegan fare, it's pasta. Or chocolate. But chocolate in Greek salad would be wrong. So pasta.

Also, you can make a meal out of this. I, personally, can only make a meal out of a regular Greek salad when there's bread involved. (I'm all about my carbs.) But this stuff is totally capable of being a self-contained meal.

And it's summer, which means it's hot and many of us don't feel like cooking most of the time. But you can make a big batch of this, stick it in the fridge, literally do nothing but dish some out, and you've got lunch or a light dinner ready to eat.

The dressing is a super simple Greek vinaigrette made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic and oregano. Make that first so the flavors have time to mingle!

Cook your pasta and let it cool, then add all the usual Greek salad accoutrements: red onion, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, cucumber and fresh parsley. And of course your tofu feta.

Dress, toss and enjoy!

Tips for Making Amazing Vegan Greek Orzo Salad

• If you're not into orzo, feel free to substitute your favorite small pasta shape.
• This salad will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
• If you want to cut down on the fat/oil content of the dressing, try swapping half of the olive oil with water.
• I like to drizzle a bit of the tofu feta's marinade into my salad for extra flavor.

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5 from 3 votes

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Vegan Greek Orzo Salad

This vegan Greek orzo salad is a sure-fire hit for summer cookouts! With tender pasta, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, tofu feta and cucumber in a zesty vegan Greek vinaigrette, this salad makes a scrumptious side dish that also works great as a light summer main.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Greek

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Cooling time 30 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 344 kcal

Author Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon organic granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Salad

• 1 ½ cups dried orzo pasta
• Dash olive oil
• ½ medium red onion, coarsely chopped (about ⅔ cup)
• 1 cup Kalamata olives
• 1 medium cucumber, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 ½ cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 batch tofu feta cheese

Instructions

1. Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together in a small jar or bowl. Set it aside.

2. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook it according to the package directions.

3. Drain the pasta into a colander, return it to the pot, and toss with a dash of olive oil to prevent sticking. Allow it to cool.

4. While the pasta cools, place the red onion into a small bowl and cover it with cold water. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes, then drain the water. (This will remove some of the onion's bite.)

5. When the pasta is cool transfer it to a large bowl. Add the onion, olives, cucumber, tomato, parsley and tofu feta. Pour the dressing over the ingredients and toss to coat.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Greek Orzo Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 344 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 2.3g12%

Sodium 716mg30%

Potassium 354mg10%

Carbohydrates 41.8g14%

Fiber 4.4g18%

Sugar 6.2g7%

Protein 12.7g25%

Calcium 140mg14%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.