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These Marinated Tomato Feta Orzo Salad Jars are a fun, easy, and wholesome make-ahead lunch or dinner. These simple, delicious salad jars are no-cook, come together quickly, and with very little effort. Greek olives, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, salty feta cheese, orzo pasta, and a tangy, herby Greek dressing. Each jar is so colorful and, once everything is tossed together, very yummy too. Enjoy these for lunch or dinner.
I think everyone can relate to this, but the second Memorial Day passes, it’s full-on summer. I know the season doesn’t officially begin until summer solstice, June-21st, but once school’s out, in my mind, it’s summer.
For me, summer signifies a time for delicious cooking…but not a lot of it. I don’t want to be tied to the kitchen on busy summer days. Or stuck at the stove on a warm, peaceful night. I just want simple, vibrant, delicious, and satisfying recipes.
Honestly, it’s a lot to ask out of most recipes. Some recipes just take time and effort. But I’m hoping to create plenty of summer recipes that are more on the easier side. So I thought the perfect recipe to start with would be these make-ahead salad jars.
The idea
The idea is that you can assemble these over the weekend or on days when you have some extra time. Then enjoy them either for lunch or dinner in the days to follow.
What’s awesome about this idea is that the jars take almost no effort to prepare. And as they sit they actually develop even more flavor.
You can enjoy them for lunch. Or use them for dinner by adding a side of grilled chicken, steak, or sautéed chickpeas for added protein.
The steps
Even though the recipe says to start with the dressing, I like to prepare all my salad ingredients first. This just means, cooking the orzo and chopping up the vegetables and herbs.
Then I make the dressing, which is a slight twist on a Greek vinaigrette. Instead of red wine vinegar, I like to use balsamic for a more intense flavor. The balsamic soaks into each of the ingredients really well.
For the dressing, simply mix everything together. No fancy steps.
Then, you layer. I use glass weck jars, but feel free to use any set of random jars. They can even all be different, you just need to use a larger jar (around 16 ounces).
Layer it all in. The key is to start with the bell peppers. Then pour over the dressing and add the feta and tomatoes. What happens is that the dressing ends up marinating the peppers and some of the feta too. It really adds a lot of flavor to each jar.
After the tomatoes, everything else goes in. Cucumbers, olives, orzo, fresh dill, and basil. Then a big scoop of hummus and fresh arugula too.
Keep each jar in the fridge until you’re ready to eat. Then just dump out the jars and toss everything together.
As mentioned, grilled chicken or steak would really be delicious if you want to serve these up for dinner. Or if you’re a vegetarian, try using warm sautéed chickpeas. You could even add an egg too!
Lots of options. Each is delicious and perfectly easy for summer days!
Looking for other great salads? Try these.
Pesto Chicken and Avocado Bacon Salad Wraps
Mango Kale Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing
Sweet Potato Kale Salad with Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad
Lastly, if you make this Marinated Tomato Feta Orzo Salad Jars, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Marinated Tomato Feta Orzo Salad Jars
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 910 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 shallot, grated
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- chili flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
Salad Jars
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds (sunflower/pinenuts)
- 1-2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces feta cheese, cubed
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 1/2 cup chopped cucumbers
- 1 1/12 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 2 cups cooked orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup mixed chopped dill and basil
- 1 cup hummus
- 4 cups fresh arugula
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. In a glass jar, shake or whisk together all ingredients. Season with chili flakes, salt, and pepper.2. Layer the jars. Using 4 (16 ounce) glass jars, evenly layer the seeds and bell peppers. Pour 1/4 of the dressing into each jar. Then, add the feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, orzo, and herbs. Add the hummus, then arugula. Seal the jars and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. 3. To serve, pour the contents of the jar out into a bowl. Squeeze the remaining lemon juice over top. Season with salt, if desired. Enjoy!
I am not a huge feta fan, so I subbed fresh Parmesan at the top instead of bottom. This is excellent, loved all the textures and flavors. I have made this a couple times already and have shared this with several of my coworkers as well. Well done!
Hi Trina,
Happy Monday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! xxT
Made this as a big salad in a trifle bowl. Kept refrigerated for two days and it was just amazing. I would like to send you a photo of what it looks like.
Hi Stephanie,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled that this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for trying it out! ☀️xxT
SO good. The perfect Summer salad… I’m making it for my boyfriend and I… for the second time in a week. Keep the salads coming please! 😀
Hey Natasha,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! ?Tieghan
Soooo good! Wrote the recipe down and will definitely make it again.
Hey Kiersten,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xTieghan
I’ve meal prepped several of your salad recipes over the last few weeks and this one has been my favorite! It stayed fresh for days and the flavors are all so hearty and satisfying—those marinated peppers in the bottom are amazing! I subbed farro for orzo and it worked beautifully. Used a really good quality organic hummus. All in all, this was easy to put together and left me full each day. Great recipe! Will absolutely make this again.
Hi Lindsey,
Thanks so much for trying so many of the different salad recipes! I love to hear that you have been enjoying them, this recipe is definitely great for meal prep!! xTieghan
How long do you think the dressing would last in the fridge? I’m hoping to only assemble 2 days worth and keep the rest of the dressing for later in the week (like 4-5 days from now).
Hey Jessica,
The dressing should be good for up to 2 weeks in the fridge:) I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
I cut this recipe in half and made it last night so I could have lunch at work today and tomorrow. This salad came together super easily and is SO GOOD! The dressing is really out of this world and all the flavors combined together very well. What I love most is that you can really make it your own. I’m not a fan of herbs in my salad so I left out the basil and dill. I also omitted the olives because I don’t like them, and next time I’ll add a little more fiber by swapping out the orzo for some black beans, which means it’ll be even less prep-work since I won’t have orzo to cook. This was really the most satisfying work lunch I’ve had in a long time. I imagine I’ll be eating this at least once a week for the next several weeks as I don’t see myself tiring of it anytime soon.
My favorite part, though… the hummus! I never would’ve thought to put a dollop of that on a salad. So yummy!
Hi Sheri,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you:) xTieghan
Love this recipe!! Like the other women mentioned below, I actually used less than the ingredients listed above and still needed a 32 oz jar. Additionally, the cals came closer to 650 vs. the 431 mentioned (and that was with half the amount of cheese -4oz vs 8). Still very delicious but noting for those looking to track!
One thing I did to keep the arugula on the top nice and fresh is wet (and ring out) a small piece of paper towel that you place on top before covering. This keeps the lettuce fresh and crispy!
Hey Brittany,
Wonderful!! Love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for sharing your review and making the recipe!! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try this! Is there a swap for the arugula? My hubby doesn’t like it.
Hi Christina,
You can use any other green that your husband likes:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Recipe should call for 32 oz jars. I had half of the salad ingredients in 16 oz jars and they were full
Hey Jill,
Thanks for sharing your feedback:) I did use 16 ounce jars, try using less of each item next time OR use larger jars like you did, either way it won’t ruin the recipe! Thanks for giving them a try! xTieghan
These were so easy and SO delicious!! I followed the recipe exactly. The jars turned out beautiful but also were SO tasty and filling. Amazing!
Hi Pam,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was great! So creamy. I also made it in a big bowl rather than jars but excited to try the jars sometime soon!
Hey Sandhya,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your review and making this recipe. Love to hear that it was a winner! xxT
Absolutely delicious! And absolutely no way this will fit into four- 16oz jars. When it was time to serve I divided the arugula, hummus and orzo between four large bowls and then poured one jar on each of the four bowls. Very filling and a great summer salad.
Hey Linda,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your review and making this recipe. Love to hear that it was a winner! xxT
Obsessed with this recipe!! So delicious— and easy! Can’t wait to make it again.
Can anyone recommend any other HBH recipes for similar meal planning? Loved how convinient premaking these jars was. Thanks ☺️
Hey Emily,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your review and making this recipe. Love to hear that it was a winner! Here’s some other recipes you might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/mediterranean-chickpea-and-egg-salad-jars/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chia-pudding-3-ways/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/greek-lemon-roasted-broccoli-pasta-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/meal-prep-tropical-jerk-chicken-and-gingered-broccoli/
I hope this helps! xxT
This salad is amazing!! I made in one big bowl & I’m just scooping into smaller portions as needed. It’s absolutely delicious! I think I’ll add crispy chickpeas next time.
Hey Kimberley,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xTieghan