Serve up this colorful and flavorful Watermelon Feta Orzo Salad this summer! Make this recipe in just 20 minutes with juicy watermelon, feta cheese, arugula and orzo dressed in a zesty vinaigrette.
If you love watermelon, try my watermelon slushie for a fun summer beverage. The recipe is alcohol-free, or you can easily turn it into a cocktail with tequila or rum.
Recipe Quick Look: Watermelon Feta Orzo Salad
- Ready in: 20 minutes
- Great for: summer side dish, 4th of July
- Main Ingredients: watermelon, feta cheese, orzo pasta, arugula
- Serves: 6 people
- Difficulty: easy!
- Bonus: bring to a cookout or 4th of July celebration!
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Made this salad and took it to a 4th of July cookout today. It was very good. Cooked the orzo last night put in fridge and mixed everything else with it today. Will for sure make again. - Mary Lou
Why I Love This Recipe
- Hydration: Watermelons are 92% water. Isn't that incredible?! Keep your hydration up in a fun and flavorful way by using watermelon not only as a summer fruit but in recipes.
- Sweet and Savory: The watermelon offers sweetness and the zesty lemon and peppery arugula offer more savory notes.
- Ease: Buy pre-chopped watermelon and the most work will be cooking the orzo and throwing the ingredients together in a bowl!
- 4th of July: This recipe works great for 4th of July celebrations or any summer cookout!
For more 4th of July recipe ideas, check out my spinach feta turkey burgers, super simple guacamole, peach salsa, and cucumber onion tomato salad.
What is Orzo?
Ever wonder what this small, oval shaped noddle looking thing really is? A grain or maybe pasta? Well, if you guessed pasta, you're right! Orzo is made from semolina flour, which is formed from ground durum wheat.
Orzo is used in a lot of Mediterranean meals like salads, soups, casseroles and other pasta dishes!
Is Orzo Gluten-Free?
You'll find gluten in wheat, barley and malt. Since orzo is derived from wheat (durum wheat), orzo isn't gluten-free.
If you are unable to eat gluten, you could substitute pasta noodles made from beans, peas, corn, lentils or potatoes for the closest texture of orzo. Other gluten-free options include quinoa and amaranth.
How to Make Watermelon Feta Orzo Salad
This orzo salad is easy to make! Start by cooking the orzo according to the package's instructions. Drain the pasta well after cooking and allow it to cool before adding the lemon juice and oil. Then chill the lemony orzo in the refrigerator while you get the other fixings ready!
Chop up the watermelon! I like to do small bite size squares so the salad doesn't need a knife. Measure out your arugula and pack it into the measuring cup to make sure you get enough.
Add the watermelon, arugula and feta cheese to the chilled orzo and mix well. The longer this salad sits, the more flavorful it gets!
Serving Suggestions
Serve the orzo salad cold. I leave it in the refrigerator after I'm done mixing it all together so that the flavors get stronger.
It's like an orzo fruit salad! You'll notice the pasta will get a bit of a pink tint the longer it sits from the juice of the watermelon......how cool is that? Pink pasta, I'm in!
The peppery arugula and zesty lemon along with the sweet melon make this a tasty side dish to serve at a picnic, cookout or BBQ.
For main dish recommendations, I suggest doing a traditional cookout style menu....burgers, baked beans, corn on the cob and other favorite side dishes!
More Fruit-Inspired Recipes
If you tried this Watermelon Feta Orzo Salad or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know your thoughts in the comments or share your creation with me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest!
Watermelon Feta Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry orzo
- 3 cups chopped seedless watermelon
- 2 cups arugula
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook 1 cup orzo according to package instructions. Once done cooking, drain and allow to cool.
- Add the olive oil and lemon juice to the cooled orzo.
- Add the chopped watermelon, arugula and feta cheese to the orzo.
- Mix well, salt to taste if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- The salad is best enjoyed within 1-2 days.
- The orzo will turn pink the longer it sits from the watermelon.
- I don't add additional salt because the cooking instructions for the orzo required heavily salted water. However, if your orzo didn't require salted water, salt to taste.
Nutrition
(Nutrition values are calculated by third-party software and an estimate that can vary based on product brands and cooking methods.)
Mary Lou Craft says
Made this salad and took it to a 4th of July cookout today. It was very good. Cooked the orzo last night put in fridge and mixed everything else with it today. Will for sure make again.
Monica Nedeff says
So glad to hear you all enjoyed it, Mary Lou! Thank you for sharing the comment and rating! Happy 4th!