Pesto Orzo Salad is bursting with fresh flavors, including pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella. With just 5 ingredients and 20 minutes, you'll have the perfect light meal or side dish.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
You are going to love how quick and easy this orzo pasta salad is to make. Simply boil the orzo, then toss it with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and pesto! Both homemade or store-bought pesto work great in this recipe.
You can even make it ahead and pop it in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it. Bring it to your next picnic, cookout, or game day tailgate. It's not only a great party food, but perfect for a light lunch or dinner side dish.
Try this Pesto Turkey Sandwich or this Pesto Chicken Quinoa Bowl for more pesto-y goodness.
Ingredients
There's just 5 ingredients in this pasta salad. Though it's filled with fresh summer tomatoes and basil, you can make it anytime since these ingredients are easily found in grocery stores throughout the year.
- Orzo: Orzo is fantastic in this salad. The small shape and texture pick up so much of the pesto and ensure every bite is perfect. Look for it in your pasta aisle at the grocery store. If you can't find it for whatever reason, any small pasta shape will work. Regular, whole wheat, or gluten-free would all be good.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Halved cherry tomatoes. You can substitute for roma tomatoes if you don't have any on hand.
- Mozzarella: A ball of fresh mozzarella, diced, or you could use ciliegine and half them.
- Basil: Fresh basil leaves, sliced.
- Pesto: Either homemade or store-bought basil pesto. I love this Almond Basil Pesto or this nut-free Spinach Basil Pesto. You can even go simple and make it with a traditional Italian basil pesto.
How to Make Pesto Orzo Salad
It's super simple to make in less than 20 minutes!
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orzo according to package direction, until al dente.
- Drain and rinse the orzo in a colander under cold water, until cooled. This should take about 1-2 minutes. Pour into a large bowl.
- Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and pesto. Toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tip: You can make orzo salad ahead of time and refrigerate until serving. To store, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Orzo salad may dry out a little after refrigerating since the orzo soaks up the pesto. Just drizzle a little bit of olive oil over it and toss to combine.
Variations
I love to keep this salad simple, however if you want to change it up, here are some recommendations.
- Add a protein. Chickpeas, salami or pepperoni would all be great additions. To make it into a meal, you can top it with cooked shrimp or chicken.
- Swap out the cheese. Instead of mozzarella, you can use crumbled feta or goat cheese.
- Give it a caprese flavor by adding a drizzle of balsamic glaze!
- Mix in some sunflower seeds or pine nuts for a little crunch.
- For even more flavor, stir in some diced red onion, olives, or banana peppers.
- Looking for more veggies? Stir in diced bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, spinach, or even corn.
Serving Suggestions
Not sure how to serve Pesto Orzo Salad? I've got you covered! It's a delicious summer side dish that you can bring to any BBQ. It's also perfect for a light lunch or weeknight dinner side dish. You can even pop it in the cooler to bring to the beach.
Serve it with your favorite type of burgers (I love this with turkey burgers), grilled chicken, sausage, fish, or sandwiches. It's the perfect side for these BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Orzo is a great small pasta to use in pasta salad. Because of it's texture and small oval shape, it picks up so much of your dressing or pesto, so you have flavor in every bite. Plus it ensures you're getting lots of pasta and mix-ins in every bite.
Traditional italian pesto is made from fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, grated aged cheese like parmesan, and extra virgin olive oil. You can make it in a food processor, blender, or with a mortar and pestle.
More Recipes
- Rainbow Orzo Salad
- Easy Italian Pasta Salad
- Vegetable Soup with Orzo and White Beans
- Roasted Tomatoes on the Vine
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Pesto Orzo Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: American
Description
Pesto Orzo Salad is bursting with fresh flavors, including pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella. With just 5 ingredients and 20 minutes, you'll have the perfect light meal or side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups uncooked orzo pasta
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
- ¼ cup fresh basil, sliced
- ½ cup pesto, store-bought or homemade
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orzo according to package direction, until al dente.
- Drain and rinse the orzo in a colander under cold water, until cooled. This should take about 1-2 minutes. Pour into a large bowl.
- Add the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and pesto. Toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Try this Almond Basil Pesto or this Spinach Basil Pesto in this recipe.
To store, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Orzo salad may dry out a little after refrigerating since the orzo soaks up the pesto. Just drizzle a little bit of olive oil over it and toss to combine.
Nutritional values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 254
- Sugar: 3.3 g
- Sodium: 486.3 mg
- Fat: 9.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 2.6 g
- Protein: 17 g
- Cholesterol: 6.8 mg
Keywords: orzo salad, orzo, side dish, bbq side dish, tailgating food
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