This simple Pesto Orzo Salad recipe is a quick one-pan meal, perfect for a busy weeknight family dinner. With a combination of tender rice-shaped orzo, flavorful pesto, fresh tomatoes and white beans, it’s a bright and fresh meal ready in about 15 minutes.
Whether it’s the peak of summer or the middle winter, I’m always craving basil! It’s easily one of my top 3 favorite herbs. We grow a ton of basil in our small garden, and one of the best ways to use up all that fresh herb is to blend it with pine nuts, cheese and garlic to make pesto! I have this recipe for a quick Homemade Basil Pesto in a Food Processor that I come back to again and again.
But even deep into winter, like today, I still like to make homemade pesto using store-bought basil. Or, when I have a busy weeknight meal to prepare, I often reach for a good quality jarred pesto.
This recipe borrows the flavors of summer for a quick and easy one-pan meal, perfect for any night of the year. It’s vegetarian, kid-approved and ready in about 15 minutes.
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Ingredients that Matter
This recipe has just a handful of simple ingredients. Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Orzo. This rice-shaped pasta is one of my favorites! It’s tender and takes well to sauces like pesto, or a cheesy sauce like in our Creamy Broccoli Orzo. It also works well in soups like our Orzo Vegetable Soup. Orzo is a quick-cooking pasta, making it ideal for whenever time is limited.
- Pesto. Use a good quality basil pesto. You’ll find store-bought pesto with Italian products, often near tomato sauces. Pesto can also be found in the refrigerator section. You may even find a locally made pesto in your hometown market. Any of these will do just fine. Or, make your own! Try out our homemade pesto recipe for some inspiration.
- Cherry Tomatoes. Adding fresh cherry tomatoes gives this dish a burst of fresh, juicy sweetness. Like basil, you can often find a good quality cherry tomato all year round.
- White Beans. I like to add a can of white beans (drained and rinsed) to this pasta dish for added protein and fiber. It turns an otherwise simple side dish into more of a filling complete meal.
- Basil. Add a big handful of fresh basil leaves a garnish.
- Pine Nuts. Like the basil, adding some lightly toasted pine nuts as a garnish reinforces the flavors from the pesto.
- Cheese. You can use just about any variety of cheese, but I like a salty hard cheese like pecorino or parmesan, shaved or grated.
- Lemon. Serve the pesto pasta with lemon wedges to cut through the richness of the cause and add some vibrancy to the dish.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This easy pasta with pesto sauce comes together quickly! This dish can be served hot or cold as an orzo pesto salad. Hot or cold, here is how you make this recipe:
Start by cooking the orzo in a large pot according to the package instructions. Be sure to cook the rice-shaped pasta until just tender. Remove from the heat, drain and then return the orzo to the pot.
Add half the pesto to the orzo and gently toss until just combined. Try not to overwork the orzo, if possible.
Add the halved cherry tomatoes and gently stir again.
Finish the dish by adding the remaining pesto and the white beans and gently stir to combine. Serve garnished with more basil, pine nuts, cheese and lemon wedges.
Hint: Adding the white beans at the very end and gently tossing helps ensure they don’t fall apart and make the dish overly starchy or dense.
Substitutions
This recipe has plenty of room for tweaks based on your dietary restrictions and flavor preferences. Consider the following substitutions:
- Gluten-Free – Despite the fact orzo looks like rice, it is pasta and therefore NOT gluten-free. You can make this recipe gluten-free by swapping in a gluten-free orzo instead.
- Cheese – While I like to use shaved pecorino or parmesan for this orzo pesto salad, you could also use torn fresh mozzarella or mozzarella pearls. You can also use chopped cheddar cheese, crumbled feta or even a milder cheese like Monterey jack. I don’t recommend a pungent cheese like blue or even goat cheese.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes – In addition to (or in place of) fresh tomatoes, try using jarred oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. I use these sweet tomatoes a lot, like in our Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad or our Sun-Dried Tomato Spread appetizer.
- Dairy-Free & Vegan – This recipe is vegetarian (so long as you are okay with the animal rennet in the cheese, though you can find vegetarian hard cheese options, too), but you can further make it dairy-free or even vegan by making pesto without cheese and leaving out the cheese garnish. Specialty or health food markets often carry vegan pesto.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this orzo with pesto hot as a light main and include a vegetarian protein like these easy Chickpea Patties or Red Lentil Patties. Or I serve it as a side with our Smothered Skillet Chicken with Artichokes and Red Peppers or our Perfect Seared Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs.
If you want to make this an orzo pesto pasta salad, try serving it cold and add some grilled zucchini, chopped baby spinach, seared asparagus or another fresh vegetable. Try serving it cold as a side pasta salad to our Cast Iron BBQ Chicken Breast or our Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders.
Storage
Store leftover pesto orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can serve it cold right out of the refrigerator or set it on counter for 20 minutes for a room temperature salad. If you’d like to have it hot, simply microwave or add to a skillet along with more pesto and heat over medium until hot.
You can also freeze this recipe for up to 1 month in an airtight container or freezer-safe zip top bag.
Top tip
This recipe uses 1 cup of pesto. I recommend keeping some extra pesto around to adjust the consistency of the pasta. If you only have 1 cup of pesto, transfer 1 tablespoon of the pesto to a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon each of oil and water to so you have a bit extra to use once plated.
FAQ
Despite the fact orzo looks like rice, it is pasta and therefore it is not gluten-free. you can, however, find gluten-free orzo in some grocery stores or health food markets.
Orzo works really well in a pasta salad because its small shape fits well on a fork and blends well with the other ingredients. Plus, it’s small size soaks up lots of the sauce from the pasta salad.
Always read the package instructions when cooking orzo or other pastas. In general, orzo is fairly quick cooking and is ready in 6-8 minutes.
The best way to prevent orzo from sticking to the pan as it cooks is to stir frequently and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Plus, if there is enough water (at least 2 quarts) then the pasta should not stick.
Yes, you can cook the orzo up to 1 day ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s best to use precooked orzo for a cold pasta salad.
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Dinner Ideas
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Recipe
Pesto Orzo Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Description
This simple Pesto Orzo Salad recipe is a quick one-pan meal, perfect for a busy weeknight family dinner. With a combination of tender rice-shaped orzo, flavorful pesto, fresh tomatoes and white beans, it’s a bright and fresh meal ready in about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. orzo (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade), plus more for serving
- 8 oz. (about 2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can white beans, such as cannellini or great northern, drained and rinsed
- shaved pecorino or parmesan, for garnish
- small basil leaves, for garnish
- lemon wedges, for garnish
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook orzo according to package instructions, being sure not to overcook the pasta. Remove from heat, drain then return the orzo to the pot.
- Stir in half the pesto into the orzo and gently toss to coat. Add the tomatoes and toss again to combine. Finish by adding the drained beans and remaining ½ cup pesto and gently stir. Adding the beans at the very end helps prevent them from mashing.
- Serve hot or cold or a pasta salad. Garnish with shaved cheese, basil leaves, lemon wedges and more pesto on the side. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.Â
- Or freeze for up to 1 month.
- If serving cold as a pesto orzo pasta salad, try adding grilled zucchini, chopped baby spinach, seared asparagus or other vegetables.
- You can serve it hot topped with chicken, if desired.
- Make this recipe dairy-free by leaving out the cheese and buying a dairy-free pesto (you can find this at specialty or health food markets).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American/Mediterranean
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