Watermelon Feta Orzo Salad is the most delicious salad for these warm summer days. Full of simple ingredients this is the fresh salad that you need for all your barbecues.  Unlike a traditional Greek salad with red kalamata olives, juicy tomatoes, and crisp cucumbers, this great recipe calls for cold, juicy and sweet watermelon, salty, tangy feta, and perfectly cooked orzo – tossed together with a homemade Greek salad dressing of sorts. It is perfect for a hot summer day! Everyone will want this easy recipe!  It has the perfect blend of fresh ingredients and summery flavors. 

You can serve this refreshing watermelon salad alongside any summer meal, and frankly, with the pasta in it, add a little crusty bread as a side dish and it can work as a full meal as well. The sweet and salty combo will WOW your friends and family and the addition of some peppery arugula and pistachios make this great salad extra special.

If you’ve never tried watermelon in a savory recipe, you have to try this simple salad! Juicy and fresh, the large chunks of sweet watermelon goes SO well with the creamy feta cheese. Here are the great ingredients 

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SALAD INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS AMAZING DISH

– 3-4 cups of a seedless watermelon cut into bite-sized pieces

– 1/2 box of Orzo pasta (cooked)

– 2 Cups Arugula or other favorite leafy greens

–  Extra Virgin olive Oil

– fresh lime juice

– honey

– Black Pepper

– Salt

– 6oz Block of Feta Cheese ( I prefer this to cut up in chunks rather than Feta crumbles)

– 1/2 cup roasted/salted pistachios

HOW TO MAKE THIS SIMPLE PASTA SALAD

Begin by cooking your Orzo pasta according to the directions on the package. As soon as the pasta is cooked, rinse it with cold water to stop it from cooking. Just set the pasta aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cut up your watermelon and your feta cheese into bite-sized chunks.

In a large bowl, add your seedless watermelon chunks, your cooked pasta, 5oz of your feta cheese (reserve a little for the top of the salad), and 1 1/2 cups of your arugula. Set aside.

In a small bowl whip up your simple dressing. Or, if you prefer, I like to use a mason jar. 1/4 cup of extra light extra virgin olive oil, 4 TBS of fresh lime juice, 1-2 TBS of honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk or shake up your dressing and add it to your salad. Add most of the pistachios at this point too. Toss it all together. Top your salad with the leftover cheese, a handful of arugula and a few pistachios sprinkled on top. 

I’ve seen other versions of this salad that include other fresh produce like cherry tomatoes, red onions, crunchy cucumbers and fresh herbs, but I like the simple 4 ingredients in this salad. You can serve this salad at room temperature as soon as you finish making it, but I think that it tastes even better if it has a few hours in the refrigerator to get cold and let the pasta absorb the flavors.

I like to make a little extra dressing to add to the salad as soon as I’m ready to serve it. Put any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it for lunch the next day.

I hope that this easy side dish becomes your new favorite just like it has become one of ours this summer!

Yield: 8 servings

Easy & Delicious Watermelon, Feta & Orzo Salad Recipe

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This fresh and delicious side salad is the perfect compliment to all of your summer dishes.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups of a seedless watermelon cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 box (8oz) of Orzo pasta (cooked)
• 2 Cups Arugula or other favorite leafy greens
• 6oz Block of Feta Cheese ( I prefer this to cut up in chunks rather than Feta crumbles)
• 1/2 cup roasted/salted pistachios
• DRESSING:
• 1/3 C Extra Virgin olive Oil
• 4 TBS fresh lime juice
• 2 TBS honey
• Black Pepper
• Salt

Instructions

Begin by cooking your Orzo pasta according to the directions on the package. As soon as the pasta is cooked, rinse it with cold water to stop it from cooking. Just set the pasta aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Cut up your watermelon and your feta cheese into bite-sized chunks.

In a large bowl, add your seedless watermelon chunks, your cooked pasta, 5oz of your feta cheese (reserve a little for the top of the salad), and 1 1/2 cups of your arugula. Set aside.

In a small bowl whip up your simple dressing. Or, if you prefer, I like to use a mason jar. 1/4 cup of extra light extra virgin olive oil, 4 TBS of fresh lime juice, 1-2 TBS of honey, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk or shake up your dressing and add it to your salad. Add most of the pistachios at this point too. Toss it all together. Top your salad with the leftover cheese, a handful of arugula and a few pistachios sprinkled on top. 

Notes

You can serve this salad at room temperature as soon as you finish making it, but I think that it tastes even better if it has a few hours in the refrigerator to get cold and let the pasta absorb the flavors. I like to make a little extra dressing to add to the salad as soon as I’m ready to serve it. Put any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it for lunch the next day.

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Happy cooking!
Tammy