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This easy Greek Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Feta Orzo is my go-to summer pasta. It’s almost no-cook, comes together quickly, and with very little effort. Roasted red peppers, salty olives, and orzo pasta are mixed together with a herby honey dressing, basil-tossed tomatoes, avocado, and so much fresh crumbled feta cheese. It’s colorful and so delicious. Enjoy this for dinner, or serve it up at your next cookout and save the leftovers for lunch. It’s always good.
The original plan was to make stuffed peppers. I had the entire recipe fully visualized and well thought out, and I was so excited.
I started preparing my peppers and quickly realized they were poorly equipped for stuffing. The peppers did not look the greatest. Even though we had just bought them at the store, they were already on their last leg!
I could have run back to the store, gotten more peppers, and proceeded, but I kept my goal for summer recipes in mind: simple summer cooking, nothing extra or fussy.
I quickly decided to pivot and grill the peppers, slice them, and toss everything I’d planned to stuff into the peppers together in one big bowl. We were left with a giant bowl of yummy pasta!
Of course, the visual presentation was not the same. But what would have been an hour-long recipe turned into a 25-minute recipe that I know everyone will love.
These are the details
Step 1: make the dressing
Lots of good olive oil mixed together with garlic, shallots, champagne vinegar, a couple squeezes of honey, fresh dill, sea salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
A pretty basic mix, but delicious. This dish has a lot of herbs, so it’s very flavorful.
Step 2: add the mix-ins
Add a jar of sliced roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, pepperoncini, and toasted pine nuts directly to the salad bowl.
If you are more like me and prefer to make your own roasted peppers, it’s super easy to do. Take the peppers and grill them all over until mostly chard all over. Or use a gas burner to char the peppers. Then add the peppers to a bowl, cover, and steam them for 10-15 minutes. Sliced and use as directed. Easy!
Step 3: cook the orzo + toss the tomatoes
Next, cook the orzo in a big pot of boiling water. Then, add it right to the salad bowl and toss everything together. You will immediately smell the garlic and herbs.
Now, mix the tomatoes with lemon, basil, and thyme.
Step 4: final touches
Top the bowl full of orzo with crumbled feta cheese. Add the avocado, then spoon the tomatoes on top.
I like to finish with additional herbs. Basil and fresh dill are great here. YUM!
Not only is this an incredibly easy recipe, but the leftovers, warm or cold, make for an awesome lunch the next day. It doesn’t get better than getting two meals out of one.
If you want to add some protein, I love serving this with a grilled chicken skewer or steak. You could also toss in lemony shrimp; that would be delicious too!
Looking for other great pasta salad recipes? Here are some favorites:
Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing
Lastly, if you make this Greek Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Feta Orzo, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Greek Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Feta Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 598 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- sea salt and chili flakes
Orzo
- 1 jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
- 1 pound orzo
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add the olives, roasted peppers, and pepperoncini. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente. Drain. Add the hot orzo to the salad bowl full of dressing. Toss, toss! 3. Toss the tomatoes with lemon, basil, thyme, and sea salt. 4. Crumble the feta over the orzo, add the avocado, and spoon the tomatoes over the feta. The orzo will develop more flavor as it sits, but I love to serve this warm!
This is delicious! We added more feta and olives but that’s just personal preference. This recipe is so easy and super versatile too. Great recipe!!
Hey Sheri,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xx
YUMMM!!! I made with grilled chicken breast and used raw red peppers for more crunch. Absolutely delicious-the perfect summer meal! Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow ❤️ thank you for yet another great dish.
Hey Christy,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it and your feedback! Xx
How many cups is 1 lb. of orzo?
Hi Donna,
1 lb of orzo is typically a standard size box from your local grocery store, about 2 cups uncooked. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Another great recipe by Tieghan!!!! I made this last Saturday as per the recipe!!! I did add Chicken Breast (husband and son require a visible meat!) that I marinated in a lemon-y greek marinade then roasted. I think I may like this recipe best cold! Leftovers make a perfect lunch. One of my favorite things about Half Baked Harvest recipes is that they are designed in such a way that they are easily modified to suit your family. For me, I loved the Orzo, husband isn’t really a fan, so the next time I make this I’ll probably use spirals. Marinating those tomatoes before adding them to the pasta is perfection, so good!!! We are also a huge fan of pine nuts so we’d probably double the amount next round. Don’t skip the avocado, such a perfect addition! Highly recommend, especially for these hot days!!!!
Hey Kemberly,
Thanks so much! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this dish, such a great idea to add chicken! Thanks for all of your detailed notes:) xT
Incredible flavor. Added Greek chicken and tzatziki on top.
Thanks so much, Luke! Love to hear that you enjoyed this dish, thanks for making it! xT
Made this yesterday for last night’s dinner and it was amazing! I made it ahead and served it cold so the flavors would meld and it didn’t disappoint. I added more vinegar than the recipe called for (to make it extra zingy!) and added shrimp for protein, but other than, followed it pretty closely. The flavors were so good! Salads are my staple year-round so I appreciated another great salad recipe.
Hey Donna,
Awesome! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment! Love to hear it was enjoyed! Xx
Salad is very good but-
You forgot to mention the pine nuts in the instructions, and you didn’t define the jar size of the roasted red peppers in the ingredients list.
Hi Carol,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry for any confusion here, you will add the pine nuts in step 1 and a 16 oz jar of peppers is linked. I hope this helps! xT
Just finished making this very tasty salad! Turned out great and look forward to making it again! Another winner Tiegen!
Hey Trudy,
Wonderful! Thank you so much for your comment and making this recipe, so glad it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend! x
Gorgeous and delicious
Thank you so much🙂
Thanks so much, Elaine!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xT
Does the recipe include how much orzo to cook? I can’t find it
Hi Lisa,
Yes, you are going to use 1 pound of orzo. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi Tieghan,
I’ve just made your recipe and had ravenous comments on it. I made it to the line and came out perfect. Thanks for the daily inspo, you are the best!
Hey Marianne,
Happy Friday! Love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Can you link to the orzo brand you used for this recipe? It doesn’t look like your typical orzo. Looks smaller and more like rice, which I kind of like! Thank you!
Hi T! Watching your Instagram stories and the ingredients list photo you have for this recipe is completely different than the recipe calls for. No red peppers, dill, avocado, fig preserves (? which aren’t even on this recipe?). I truly do love your recipes but there have been a lot of inconsistencies lately and it gets confusing for those of us who really rely on a recipe. Could I suggest maybe double checking the pics you post to Instagram and making sure you’re making the same recipe you link to? Thanks!
Hi Kat,
Thanks for your comment and sharing your feedback. Sorry for any confusion here! The roasted red peppers are the first ingredient on the list for this recipe:) You can use jarred or roast them on your own. Avocado is also on the list of ingredients. I wrote on the IG slide that if you enjoy and have fig preserves go ahead and add it, but it’s totally optional:) Same with the dill, you can never go wrong with more fresh herbs in my opinion and I had some on hand, so I added it. I hope this clears everything up for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
Just made it! Tastes delicious. Whole family loved it
Hey Lisa,
Awesome! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xT
Looks good, will try this soon!
*charred, not chard
*Link to champagne vinegar goes to a CASE of them!
Thanks so much, Melanie! I hope you love this recipe! xT