Costco Orzo Salad Copycat Recipe

This Costco orzo salad recipe recreates the deli-case favorite you’ve probably grabbed a container of more than once. It’s bright, filling, and comes together in about 30 minutes with ingredients you can find at any grocery store.

The real draw is that it holds up well, so you can make it the night before and it only gets better. No wilting, no sad leftovers.

Why I Love This Recipe

The lemon-herb dressing soaks into the orzo as it sits, so every bite is tangy and savory rather than bland and dry like a lot of pasta salads.

The combination of salty feta, crisp cucumber, and briny olives means you get something interesting in almost every forkful. It doesn’t need much fuss to taste good.

This is the version I keep coming back to for potlucks and weeknight lunches.

Recipe Ingredients

• 300g (about 1.5 cups dry) orzo – The small rice-shaped pasta holds dressing well; don’t substitute a large pasta shape or the texture changes
• 200g (about 7 oz) cherry tomatoes, halved – Adds sweetness and juice; grape tomatoes work equally well
• 1 English cucumber, diced – English cucumber has thinner skin so no peeling needed; regular cucumber works if you peel it
• 150g (about 1 cup) crumbled feta cheese – Block feta you crumble yourself is saltier and creamier than pre-crumbled
• 80g (about 0.5 cup) pitted Kalamata olives, halved – Kalamatas have a richer, less sharp flavor than canned black olives
• 1 small red onion, finely diced – Adds sharpness; soak in cold water for 5 minutes if you want it milder
• 30g (about 1 cup loosely packed) fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped – Curly parsley is a fine swap but flat-leaf has more flavor
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil – The base of the dressing; use a decent one since it’s uncooked
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice – About 1.5 lemons; bottled lemon juice is noticeably flatter here
• 1 tsp dried oregano – Greek oregano if you can find it, it’s more aromatic
• 0.5 tsp garlic powder – Blends evenly through the dressing without raw garlic bite
• 0.5 tsp salt, plus more for the pasta water – Kosher or sea salt preferred
• 0.25 tsp black pepper – Freshly ground if you have it

Variations / Substitutions

• Add protein – Stir in 200g of chopped grilled chicken or 1 can of drained chickpeas to turn this into a more complete meal; the dressing clings to both well.
• Dairy-free – Skip the feta and add a handful of toasted pine nuts for a salty, fatty element that fills a similar role.
• Swap the herb – Fresh dill works beautifully here in place of parsley; it gives the salad a slightly more Scandinavian lean that pairs well with the cucumber.
• Add heat – A pinch of chili flakes (about 0.25 tsp) stirred into the dressing adds low background warmth without turning it spicy.
• Sun-dried tomatoes – Replace the cherry tomatoes with 80g of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced, for a more intense, chewy result that holds even better overnight.
• Lemon swap – Red wine vinegar in place of lemon juice (use 2 tbsp instead of 3) gives a sharper, slightly less bright result that still works.

If you like this, you might also enjoy a Greek Chickpea Salad with Lemon Herb Dressing.

How To Make Orzo Salad

Step 1: Boil the Orzo

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil, then add the 300g of orzo. Cook it for 8 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t clump, until just tender with a very slight chew left in the center.

Drain it immediately into a colander and rinse with cold water for about 30 seconds. This stops the cooking and keeps the grains separate. Shake the colander a few times, then spread the orzo on a large baking sheet or wide bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes. Damp, clumped orzo won’t absorb the dressing evenly, so the rinse matters.

Step 2: Whisk the Dressing

In a small bowl, whisk together the 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp dried oregano, 0.5 tsp garlic powder, 0.5 tsp salt, and 0.25 tsp black pepper. Whisk for about 30 seconds until the oil and lemon juice come together into a slightly cloudy, uniform liquid.

Taste it on a spoon. It should be sharp and well-seasoned because the orzo will absorb and mellow a lot of that acidity as the salad sits.

Step 3: Toss the Salad

Add the cooled orzo to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over it and stir well so every grain is coated. Add the 200g halved cherry tomatoes, the diced cucumber, the 80g halved Kalamata olives, and the finely diced red onion. Fold everything together gently with a large spoon or spatula.

Stir in the 30g of chopped parsley last. The salad should look glossy and colorful at this point, with the dressing visibly coating the orzo.

Step 4: Scatter the Feta and Serve

Spoon the salad into a wide, shallow serving bowl or platter. Scatter the 150g of crumbled feta evenly over the top, then finish with a light drizzle of olive oil and a few grinds of black pepper. Add a small handful of extra parsley leaves if you have them.

Recipe Tips

• Salt your pasta water generously. It should taste like mildly seasoned broth, not sea water, but under-salted water is the single biggest reason pasta salads taste flat. The orzo can’t be seasoned from the inside once it’s cooked.
• Cool the orzo fully before dressing it. Warm orzo will absorb the dressing unevenly and the feta will melt instead of holding its shape as distinct crumbles.
• Make it ahead. This salad is genuinely better after an hour in the fridge. If you make it more than 2 hours ahead, hold back the feta and parsley and add them just before serving so they stay fresh.
• Taste and adjust before serving. After chilling, the acidity often softens and the salad may need another squeeze of lemon or a pinch of salt to bring it back to life.

Cook times by pasta quantity:

Orzo quantity	Boiling time	Rinse time
150g (half batch)	8 mins	20 seconds
300g (full batch)	8 to 9 mins	30 seconds
600g (double batch)	9 to 10 mins	45 seconds

How To Store

• Refrigerate – Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The orzo continues to absorb dressing as it sits, so stir in a small splash of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon before serving leftovers to freshen it up.
• Serve Cold – This salad is meant to be eaten cold or at room temperature. No reheating needed or recommended.

What To Serve With Orzo Salad

This salad is a natural alongside anything grilled. Grilled chicken thighs work well because their fat and char contrast with the bright, acidic dressing. A simple piece of baked salmon is another strong pairing since the lemon in the dressing echoes fish’s natural affinity for citrus without competing with it.

If you’re serving it as part of a spread, warm pita bread and a bowl of hummus round things out without adding any extra cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a different pasta shape if I don’t have orzo?

Yes, but stick to something small. Ditalini or small shell pasta hold the dressing similarly to orzo. Larger shapes like rotini change the texture and the ratio of pasta to mix-ins.

My salad tastes a bit bland after refrigerating. What went wrong?

Nothing went wrong, this is normal. Cold mutes salt and acid. Stir in a small pinch of salt and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice right before serving and it will come back.

Can I use dried parsley instead of fresh?

Technically yes, but the result is noticeably different. Use 1 tsp dried parsley in the dressing rather than stirring it in at the end, and accept that the salad will have less color and a quieter herb flavor.

Is this recipe gluten-free?

No, standard orzo is wheat pasta. If you need a gluten-free version, look for brown rice orzo, which holds up well in cold salads and behaves similarly when cooked.