Spinach Orzo Salad
on May 12, 2023, Updated Feb 19, 2025
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My Spinach Orzo Salad is a delicious blend of Mediterranean flavors inspired by spanakopita. Combining 🧀 feta, spinach, and 🌿 dill with orzo pasta creates a comforting and irresistible dish. Despite its rice-like appearance, orzo is actually a wheat-based pasta that cooks quickly and offers a silky texture. This recipe is a delightful twist on traditional pasta dishes, perfect for a quick and flavorful meal.
Why You’ll Love Spinach Orzo Salad
The combination of spinach and 🧀 feta is one of my favorites, and I love it in spanakopita, which is what inspired me to make this dish. This recipe is perfect for busy 🌙 weeknights because you can throw it together quickly with a few pantry staples. Whether served as a comforting side dish or a satisfying main course, this recipe is sure to become a favorite in your recipe rotation, offering a delicious and healthy meal that’s both satisfying and enjoyable for the whole family.
How to Prepare Spinach Orzo Salad
💦 Cook orzo in salted water until al dente. Use very salty water to flavor the orzo. Add orzo to boiling salted water.
🔥 Warm oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook onions for 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and cook until softened.
🥬 Add frozen chopped spinach to the pan and cook until thawed and the pan is dry.
🥘 Drain cooked orzo, add it to the pan, and then stir.
🌿 Crumble in the feta and dill. Stir until feta is warmed through. Serve the Spinach Orzo Salad and enjoy!
Nonna’s Tip 🥬
Feel free to use any pastina shape or even rice of choice. If you are gluten-free you can use a gluten-free pasta or rice.
Variations and Substitutions for Spinach Orzo Salad
Feel free to mix and match these variations to create your own version of Spinach Orzo Salad! Remember that changing ingredients may require adjustments in quantities, cooking times, and seasoning to achieve the desired taste and texture.
- Instead of spinach, you can use other leafy greens like kale, Swiss chard, or arugula.
- Add more vegetables such as diced 🍅 tomatoes, roasted red peppers, or sun-dried tomatoes.
- Replace dill with other fresh 🌿 herbs such as parsley, basil, cilantro, or mint.
- Substitute orzo with other grains such as couscous, quinoa, rice, or farro.
- Sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top of the Spinach Orzo Salad for a touch of 🔥 heat.
Similar Recipes
Lemon Feta Orzo
15 mins
Hidden Veggie Orzo Soup
1 hr 5 mins
Lemon Orzo Bake
50 mins
Orzo Pasta Salad
18 mins
Best Served With
- Grilled chicken, lamb chops, or roasted salmon
- Roasted vegetables such as asparagus, eggplant, or zucchini
- Crusty bread like my No Knead Peasant Bread or garlic breadsticks to soak up any extra sauce
Common Questions
I use Redmond Real Salt, please note that depending on the salt you use, your dish may be less or more salty. Salt is to taste so please always taste and adjust as you cook.
Be sure to purchase a block of feta in brine. Please do not use crumbled feta, as the taste and quality is never as good.
If you don’t like feta, finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano would be lovely.
This Spinach Orzo Salad makes for a delicious warm side and can accompany any protein of choice, such as grilled chicken, shrimp, or anything you enjoy!
Spinach Orzo Salad
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the orzo in salted water until al dente. Note: the water should be as salty as the sea as it's your only chance to flavor the orzo. Salt the water after it comes to a boil, stir, and add in the orzo.
- In the meantime, warm the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and continue to cook until softened, about another 2 minutes.
- Add the frozen chopped spinach to the pan and cook until fully thawed. The pan should be dry when you slide a wooden spoon through the mixture.
- Drain the cooked orzo from the water and add it into the pan. Stir.
- Crumble in the feta and dill. Stir until the feta has warmed through, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is very easy and smooth to go through. As an amateur in cooking, I really Felt complete and at ease with following the recipe.
Though, I do think that the feta isn’t that fitting, but that’s my personal opinion.
I will be using this again, but then its gonna be with a different cheese.
Thank you for your honest feedback, Jephianey! Of course, feel free to use your favorite cheese next time! Thank you for making this recipe ❤️.
Omg this is so delicious. I couldn’t decide if I wanted commit fully to this recipe, or your Lemon Feta Orzo. So I combined them. I cooked the spinach mixture as directed and when almost dry, I added in some peeled, raw shrimp. When they were cooked through, I added the zest and juice from one lemon and some pitted black olives. I finished by following the last steps of the Spinach and Feta Orzo.
Such an amazing combination of flavours and it’s now going to be on regular rotation in my kitchen.
I love the improv, Kathleen! So happy you enjoyed this.
Definitely a recipe to try! If you haven’t yet, I don’t know why you waiting it is so so good!
So happy you enjoyed it Esmeralda 🙂
Can I make this a day ahead and serve as a cool pasta salad? Or is it best warm?
I love it warm but cold is more than okay too.
Can I use fresh spinach vs frozen
?
Yes, you will need about one pound of fresh spinach to equal one cup of frozen once cooked down. ❤️
Anxious to try this recipe. Can you use fresh spinach?
Linda
Absolutely 🙂
How much fresh spinach in place of frozen
I love Spanakopita so much so when I saw this recipe on Instagram I immediately put it on my weeknight dinner menu. So simple to make and delicious! Thank you.
SO happy you loved it Corey 🙂
I saw this on Instagram and I knew I had to try it. I love it so much that I felt like I had to rate the recipe I just made this and it was so easy! It has all of the cozy flavors of spanakopita that I am always craving. I definitely measured the feta with my heart and ended up using 1 1/2 cups. I am so excited to use this recipe throughout the summer time!
Hi Abby, thanks for the sweet review, so happy you loved it.