Today I’m sharing a quick and easy big batch salad with your: Mediterranean Orzo Salad with Creamy Dressing. I love big bath salads because you only have to cook once and have delicious, healthy food to eat all week long.

Why You’ll Love It:

This Mediterranean orzo salad is delicious. It combines so many fun flavors and textures. You’ve got the brininess of the olives, the bite of the feta, the sweetness of the tomatoes, and the rich, earthiness of the chick peas. There’s also the creamy dressing, with just a bit of tang. It really all comes together for the perfect combination.

And the longer it sits, the better it gets. So this salad is even more delicious on Friday than it is on Monday.

What I love about making salads at home, making anything at home really, is that I control the ingredients. Not only does this mean I can make them a lot healthier by omitting so many of those questionable dressing ingredients. But I can sub in and out veggies that I like. And I can leave out any undesirable ingredients. It’s so much fun to customize. I think so artichoke hearts, cucumbers or roasted red peppers would also be great additions to this salad.

Did you know that a lot of store bought salads contain nuts? Pecans, walnuts, and pine nuts are all popular ingredients in both tossed salads and mixed salads. So make sure you always read the ingredients.

Another common addition is bacon. And while this is fun for nut allergies, it’s a big no-no for vegetarians, which I also have at home. When I make my own salads I don’t have to worry about any of that.

And homemade salads just taste better.

How to Make Mediterranean Orzo Salad:

It’s easy to make Mediterranean orzo salad. Start by cooking the orzo according to the package directions. You want it to be a little bit al dente (not mushy) so it holds up to the dressing. Drain and rinse with cold water to prevent it from sticking together in a giant clump.

Stir in the spinach while the orzo is still hot so it melts a little bit.

While the orzo is cooking, prep your veggies. Chop them up into bit size pieces. Add to drained orzo.

In a medium bowl. whisk together the dressing ingredients. Combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, garlic, dill, parsley, salt, pepper, and olive oil. I love to use Greek yogurt in my salad dressing. First of all, I always have it in my fridge. But it also works really well in this Mediterranean orzo salad. It’s a little bit thicker than sour cream, adds an excellent tang, and a dose of protein. But you can always sub sour cream if that’s what you have on hand.

Add dressing to orzo and toss to combine. I usually add about three-fourths of the dressing. I save the remaining dressing to add after it’s been refrigerated the first time. Add the feta cheese and toss gently to combine.

Sometimes, I don’t add the feta. Not everyone in my house likes the same cheese. So sometimes I add the cheese to individual servings.

Enjoy!

I usually make this Mediterranean orzo salad on Sunday and enjoy it for lunch all week. I even portion out the salad into individual containers–I used these 2 cup pyrex ones–so all we have to do in the morning is grab and go.

This salad travels well and would be great for a picnic or pot luck.

You can also serve it alongside some pitas or flatbreads or falafel.

Happy Eating!

PS: Want to try another delicious big batch salad? Check out this tortellini salad with lemon herb dressing.