Orzo Salad with Lemon, Capers and Feta

Fresh and light orzo pasta, bursting with the essence of tart lemons, tangy capers, fresh green onions, salty feta, and fiery red pepper flakes! Turns out, I basically named the entire ingredient list. A quick and easy lemon vinaigrette transforms tender, fluffy pasta into a refreshing and remarkable salad. And, equally good news, you can have this on the table in under 20 minutes.

You can serve this salad warm OR cold. So, if you want a hot main dish or side dish for dinner, you're covered. AND, if you want a chilled pasta salad for work or school, you're all set there too!

Another great feature of this salad is that the feta, onions and red pepper flakes are added AFTER the vinaigrette. That means, if you have finicky eaters in the house, you can leave those ingredients out of a portion or two. Or serve the feta, green onions and red pepper flakes on the side. Super adaptable.

Orzo Salad with Lemon, Capers and Feta

1 pound orzo pasta (pasta shaped like rice)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, juice and zest (1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and ground black pepper
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes for serving

Cook the orzo according to the package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl (or return the pasta to the dry pot if you want to eliminate cleaning a bowl!).
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and Dijon mustard. Add the mixture to the warm pasta and stir to coat. Fold in the green onions, capers and oregano and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon the pasta into bowls and top with the crumbled feta and red pepper flakes.
Serves 4