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30 30 Minutes or Less

Greek Orzo Salad with Shrimp

4.75
/5
30 mins
29 Comments
Jump to Recipe Video
By: Rachel GurkPosted: 06/13/2022Updated: 06/13/2022

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Pasta salad, text overlay reads "greek orzo salad - so good."
Pasta salad, text overlay reads "the best greek orzo salad with shrimp."
Pasta salad, text overlay reads "the best greek orzo salad with shrimp."
Pasta salad, text overlay reads "greek orzo salad with shrimp."
This flavorful salad will satisfy you with the Greek flavors you love including mint, lemon and parsley, tossed with orzo, it won't require fat-pants! Get the recipe on RachelCooks.com!

This main dish Greek orzo salad is zinging with flavor and has all the Greek flavors you love: kalamata olives, tomatoes, feta, lemon, fresh mint, parsley, and more.

Recipe Overview

Why you’ll love it: This shrimp salad is healthy and flavorful. It is perfect for everyday meals but easily could be served to guests (and it makes a lot).

How long it takes: 30 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: pasta pot, large bowl, skillet
Servings: 8

Greek orzo salad with shrimp, lemon, fresh mint.
Table of Contents
open
  • 1 Recipe Overview
  • 2 About This Greek Orzo Salad
  • 3 What You’ll Need
  • 4 How To Make This Recipe
  • 5 FAQs
  • 6 Make It Your Own
  • 7 Make-Ahead Ideas
  • 8 Storage Tips
  • 9 More Salads
  • 10 Get the Recipe: Greek Orzo Salad with Shrimp

There’s something about the simple combination of cucumbers, red onions, olives, tomatoes, with crumbly feta cheese that I just can’t resist. I love my Greek chopped salad or Greek pasta salad which both include garbanzo beans and red wine vinegar dressing. I make both of those salads often.

Today’s recipe adds sautéed shrimp to the salad, a bright lemony vinaigrette, and my favorite pasta for salads, orzo! You’ll find several orzo salads at RachelCooks, and they are very popular recipes. A couple favorites are bruschetta orzo pasta salad and creamy southwestern orzo salad.

This Greek pasta salad is a real crowd pleaser! Each forkful bursts with flavor: tangy cheese, briny shrimp, fruity kalamata olives, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, peppery parsley, and fresh mint. A simple vinaigrette made with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice brings it all together.

This salad is just perfect for warm summer days when you are looking for a healthy and just-filling-enough dinner (21 grams of protein per serving). The crunchy, salty, fresh, and tangy combination is sure to make you do a happy dance. Serve the salad with chilled glass of prosecco or an Aperol spritz. A bowlful of olive oil roasted almonds rounds things off nicely. Enjoy!

About This Greek Orzo Salad

Orzo is a little rice-shaped pasta that is the perfect vehicle to carry the rest of the flavors in the dish. I love using orzo instead of rice because it has a pretty neutral flavor and lightly chewy texture without any of the stickiness. It cooks up quickly which is another definite plus.

A bright lemony oregano vinaigrette serves double-duty both as a dressing and as a marinade for the shrimp. If you don’t care for shrimp, cooked or grilled chicken works great, too, or chickpeas for a vegetarian salad.

Close up of greek orzo salad with wooden spoon.

I’ll get you started on this main dish salad recipe and give you lots of extra tips. Look for the printable recipe card near the bottom of the post. It has complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.

What You’ll Need

The list of ingredients looks long but this is a pretty easy salad to make.

  • Orzo: You’ll need a 16 ounce box of orzo. Look for orzo by the other dry pastas. Whole wheat orzo is fine, if you can find it.
  • Shrimp: Here in Michigan, frozen shrimp is usually the best choice. You’ll need a pound of shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tail off. If it’s frozen, thaw it out by running cold water over it.
  • Cucumber: Choose a tender skinned variety if you can. They are easier to use (you don’t have to peel them) and the skin has lots of nutrients.
  • Red Onion: Other types of onion work well too, including green onions. If you find that raw onions are too strong, soak the sliced onion in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes before you add it to the salad.
  • Cherry Tomatoes: Look for the best tasting tomatoes you can find whether they are cherry, grape, campari, heirloom, whatever. Tomatoes fresh from the garden or farm market are definitely the best.
  • Kalamata Olives: These dark burgundy colored olives add so much zesty flavor.
  • Feta Cheese: For best flavor, use full fat feta cheese, preferable from a block (crumble it yourself).
  • Fresh Parsley: Look for the flat leaf Italian parsley. It has more flavor than curly parsley.
  • Fresh Mint Leaves: You’ll love the fresh mint in this salad. Don’t substitute dry mint; it would be better to omit the mint if you can’t find fresh.
  • Lemon Juice: You’ll need the juice from two lemons (about 6 tablespoons). Lemon juice is the base of the simple vinaigrette that dresses this salad.
  • Olive Oil: The other leg of the vinaigrette, extra virgin olive oil is a heart healthy oil and has a peppery green flavor.
  • Garlic: Use as much or as little fresh garlic as you prefer.
  • Dried Oregano: You’ll find lots of oregano in Greek cuisine. Dried oregano is fine for the vinaigrette but feel free to substitute fresh oregano if you have it (triple the amount).
  • Salt and Pepper: Season the salad to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Ingredients needed for recipe.

How To Make This Recipe

Let’s get started on making this salad! Begin by putting a pot of water on the stove to boil. While that’s heating up and the pasta cooks, the vinaigrette, shrimp, and vegetables can be prepped. If your shrimp is still frozen, put it in a colander in the sink and run cool water over it to thaw it out (5 minutes or so).

I like to soak my red onions in ice water to take out some of the sharp flavor. It will stay nice and crisp in the ice water but won’t overpower the salad. If that sounds good to you, slice the onion first so it has time to soak.

Next, prepare the vinaigrette. Squeeze the juice out of a couple of lemons, add the olive oil, fresh garlic (minced or pressed), dried oregano, salt and pepper. Whisk the dressing until the ingredients are combined.

Two images of vinaigrette, one whisked, one not yet whisked.

Put the shrimp in a bowl and add a couple tablespoons of the dressing as a marinade, stirring until the shrimp is coated. Heat up a medium sized skillet and add the shrimp. It will cook very quickly. Flip it once. The shrimp will curl up and turn an opaque light pink color when it’s done. Remove the shrimp from the pan and spread it on a plate to cool.

Four process images of shrimp being marinated and cooked.

Next, slice the cucumber and tomatoes, and finely chop the herbs. By now, the orzo should be cooked al dente. Using a colander, drain it in the sink, rinse it with cool water, and drain it thoroughly.

Coked pasta on a spoon and in a pot.

Put the orzo into a very large bowl. Now that they’re cool enough to handle, roughly chop the shrimp (if you want).

Shrimp being cut.

Pour in the remaining vinaigrette and mix well. Add the chopped veggies, herbs, olives, and feta to the salad bowl and combine. Gently mix it all together.

Final four steps to making recipe.

Your salad is ready to serve, or if you prefer, it can be refrigerated for a couple of hours. Check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired. Another quick squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil really perks up the flavor, too.

FAQs

Is orzo pasta or rice?

Although it looks somewhat like rice, orzo is actually a small sized pasta. Whole wheat or gluten free orzo is available and can be substituted if you wish. Because it’s a small pasta, orzo is quick cooking and works well for pasta salads.

Can I replace orzo with rice?

In some recipes, rice could be substituted for orzo. It would be just fine in lemon chicken orzo soup or easy meatball soup with orzo. Remember that rice will take a bit longer to cook.
However, rice tends to be stickier, making it less desirable for most salads. Rice will absorb a lot of dressing, too, so you’d have to make additional dressing. If you’re looking for a gluten-free alternative, I would choose cauliflower rice.

Make It Your Own

  • Don’t care for shrimp? Make this salad with chicken instead; try poached chicken or oven roasted chicken breasts. Grilled chicken that has been marinated with Italian dressing marinade is a great add-in.
  • Make it vegetarian. Substitute chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or cannellini beans for the shrimp.
  • Substitute store bought Greek salad dressing for the homemade vinaigrette, or another dressing of your choice.
Large serving bowl of orzo salad with shrimp, olives, tomatoes, onions, feta, and more.

Make-Ahead Ideas

If you like to meal prep, you’ll be happy to know that components of the salad can be prepped up to a day ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator until you’re ready to combine them and serve the salad. The veggies can be chopped, the vinaigrette prepared, and the shrimp and orzo can be cooked.

Storage Tips

Leftover salad can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days as long as it’s refrigerated promptly. Because the orzo continues to absorb the dressing as it sits, you may need to refresh the salad with a bit more dressing. Usually, all it takes is a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil to perk it up again.

More Salads

Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples, Cranberries, and Walnuts

Black Bean and Avocado Salad (great with chips!)

Mediterranean Green Bean Salad

Grilled Ratatouille Pasta Salad

Browse All

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Greek orzo salad with shrimp, olives, tomatoes.
Recipe

Get the Recipe: Greek Orzo Salad with Shrimp

4.75 from 4 votes
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
8 servings
Print Rate Recipe
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This main dish Greek orzo salad is zinging with flavor and has all the Greek flavors you love: kalamata olives, tomatoes, feta, lemon, fresh mint, parsley, and more.

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste

Salad

  • 1 box (16 oz.) orzo pasta, uncooked
  • 16 ounces peeled, deveined shrimp, tail removed, size 31-40 (thawed if frozen)
  • ½ English cucumber, quartered and sliced ½-inch thick
  • ½ medium red onion, quartered and thinly sliced (see note)
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
  • ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to the package instructions.
  • Meanwhile, In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine dressing ingredients: lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Whisk together.
  • In a separate bowl, combine shrimp and 2 tablespoons of dressing. Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp with marinade to pan and sauté three minutes, flipping halfway, until shrimp is opaque and curled. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Chop shrimp roughly (or cut in half).
  • Drain orzo, rinse with cold water, and drain thoroughly. Transfer to a very large bowl, add remaining dressing, and stir to combine. Add cucumber, onion, tomatoes, olives, feta, parsley, and mint leaves; toss to combine. Add shrimp and toss.
  • Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. Salad can be refrigerated for up to three days.

Notes

  • To tone down the sharp flavor of onion, soak the sliced onion in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes; drain well and add it to the salad.
  • Leftover salad: add a squeeze of lemon and/or a drizzle of olive oil to refresh.
  • Vegetarian: omit shrimp, add chickpeas and/or additional feta, if desired.
  • Cooked or grilled chicken can be substituted for the shrimp.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 436kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 755mg, Potassium: 491mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 603IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 126mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk
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  1. Reuben Tom-Kee says

    September 25, 2020 at 11:28 am

    Hello Rachel: Just wanted to mention that your frank and simple approach is refreshing. I love cooking and am pretty good but I just like to cut through the proverbial cr**p and make it simple. After all it’s the combination of ingredients that create the flavour of the dish. Bravo on a great website and attitude!
    p.s. I had just made my own pickled fresh green beans and then did a search to see what was out there and stumbled onto your website.
    I am a writer (no cookbooks yet!) with 6 titles. My two sons ( one on a team, another individual ) are medal winning chefs… haha they would love to hear their pops’ comment..

    Reply
    • Rachel Gurk says

      September 28, 2020 at 8:46 am

      Ahhh thank you so much! Providing straightforward recipes that aren’t a pain to make is one of my biggest priorities! Your kind words mean a lot!

      Reply
  2. katie says

    March 20, 2013 at 11:04 am

    ummm this looks and sounds amazing! I love anything Greek!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 28, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      Thank you Katie! It’s simple but really good =)

      Reply
  3. Bree {Skinny Mommy} says

    March 18, 2013 at 2:42 pm

    I love this recipe as I am huge lover of Greek food too. YUM!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 28, 2013 at 1:57 pm

      Thanks so much Bree! Aren’t the flavors in Greek food so good? Love the freshness of it all!

      Reply
  4. sally @ sallys baking addiction says

    March 17, 2013 at 6:30 pm

    Hi Rachel! And Vijay! I love you both! :) I need to make this. Like, yesterday. I simply adore shrimp anything and everything. This looks amazing! So refreshing and perfect for springtime.

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 10:16 am

      Thank you Sally – appreciate it =). I think shrimp is one of the most “accessible” forms of seafood so I love cooking with it too! Plus, you can get decent shrimp at almost any grocery store year round so it’s a reliable stand by!

      Reply
  5. Tracey says

    March 16, 2013 at 7:53 pm

    Yay, love Vijay! So glad to see him over here :) This salad looks amazing, we’re on a major shrimp kick lately. It’s just so quick and easy!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 10:13 am

      Thanks Tracey – love ya too =). Doing the shrimp in the oven makes it super easy to cook for a crowd!

      Reply
  6. Valerie @ From Valerie's Kitchen says

    March 16, 2013 at 5:12 pm

    I’m a sucker for orzo salads and this one looks amazing! Pinning and hope to try in the warmer weather months.

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 10:09 am

      Even when it’s cold outside, you can trick yourself into thinking it’s summer with this one!

      Reply
  7. Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says

    March 15, 2013 at 4:56 pm

    I love seafood and I love nosh it! This looks great Vijay!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 10:07 am

      Thanks Meagan =)

      Reply
  8. Heather Christo says

    March 15, 2013 at 2:01 pm

    Looks delicious! I love that you added shrimp to these classic Greek flavors!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 10:06 am

      Thank you so much Heather! We don’t eat a ton of seafood at home but I like the sweet/briny flavor of shrimp here.

      Reply
  9. Ashley Bee (Quarter Life Crisis Cuisine) says

    March 15, 2013 at 11:58 am

    Perfect summer recipe, I cannot wait to be eating something like this on my porch while enjoying the warm weather!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 10:05 am

      Seriously! Even when it’s cold outside, I want this to convince me that spring & summer are on the way.

      Reply
  10. Amanda says

    March 15, 2013 at 10:49 am

    It looks great!!

    Reply
  11. Alaina @ Fabtastic Eats says

    March 15, 2013 at 10:48 am

    This sounds awesome Vijay! I love shrimp..and feta..and greek salads are one of my favorites!! This is so light and springy! Love this!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 28, 2013 at 1:59 pm

      All of the above here too! I was in one of those moods where I was ready for winter to be OVER when creating this recipe. Now, it actually looks like that’s coming true!

      Reply
  12. carrian says

    March 15, 2013 at 10:37 am

    Vijay, and Nosh On It are awesome. Lovely guest post and meal!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 9:56 am

      Thanks so much Carrian! Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  13. Jennifer @ Mother Thyme says

    March 15, 2013 at 10:31 am

    Love seeing Vijay guest posting here! This salads looks incredible! Definitely my kind of salad.

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 9:46 am

      Thanks Jennifer! We had leftovers for days…I’m not the best at cooking just for a few =)

      Reply
  14. Cassie | Bake Your Day says

    March 15, 2013 at 9:02 am

    This is awesome…totally my kind of salad. The shrimp looks perfect!

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 18, 2013 at 9:46 am

      They were perfect Cassie! I like doing them on high heat in the oven so you can get a bunch done at the same time.

      Reply
  15. Carrie @ Bakeaholic Mama says

    March 15, 2013 at 8:09 am

    Vijay this salad looks wicked good… and I don’t even like shrimp all that much! Great guest post.

    Reply
    • Vijay @ NoshOnIt says

      March 15, 2013 at 12:56 pm

      Thank you so much Carrie! You could easily substitute grilled chicken for the shrimp or just leave it out.

      Reply

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