Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad
This simple orzo pesto pasta salad recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients, like pesto, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and fresh mozzarella pearls. It’s easy and delicious! Serve this pasta salad up with a nice grilled steak or baked chicken for a perfect weeknight meal that your whole family will love.
If you love orzo salads as much as I do, you can’t miss this cold lemon orzo salad. This is one of my family’s most requested pasta salad recipes!
Recipe Ingredients: Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Orzo: Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta that works wonders at soaking up delicious dressings and sauces. It’s perfect for absorbing all the fresh flavors in the pesto.
Pesto: My homemade 5-minute basil and arugula pesto is my go-to pesto recipe, but if you have a store brand you love, go for it!
Cucumbers: Seedless English or Persian cucumbers work perfectly.
Cherry tomatoes: Multi-colored cherry tomatoes make such a pretty presentation! If you can find heirloom cherry tomatoes, even better!
Fresh mozzarella pearls: Another name for small mozzarella balls is ciliegine. They are about the size of a cherry. You can use larger bocconcini, just half or quarter them.
Delicious additions: Some yummy veggies you can add are red onion, roasted red peppers, or any summer grilled veggies like zucchini or asparagus! If you want a little crunch, try topping this orzo salad with some toasted pine nuts. Last, take this salad over the top with a drizzle of balsamic glaze!
Casey’s Tips
- Use good pesto: Homemade or a high-quality store-bought pesto makes a big difference in flavor. Since there are so few ingredients in this recipe, every ingredient needs to shine!
- Leftovers: I like to reserve a bit of the pesto to mix into any leftovers to freshen it up a bit. A squeeze or two of lemon juice or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil also works well.
- Storage: This salad is great stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
How to serve
Summery side: This pesto orzo salad is perfect for summery, outdoor gatherings. It pairs perfectly with grilled steak, chicken, or shrimp skewers.
Full meal: Need a quick lunch? Chop up some leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken for a delicious lunch or light dinner.
Meal/lunch prep: This salad holds up well in the fridge making it perfect for meal prep. Add the pasta salad to meal prep containers. Then, top the pasta salad with grilled or rotisserie chicken for a hearty lunch or light dinner.
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Thank you! ~ Casey
Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried orzo pasta 12-16 oz. box
- 6-8 oz. pesto homemade or store-bought (my favorite pesto recipe)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved Heirloom cherry tomatoes or multi-colored tomatoes look so pretty!
- 1-2 cups English or Persian cucumber, chopped
- 1-2 tsp. olive oil
- 8 oz. mozzarella pearls Mozzarella pearls typically come in an 8 oz. container. It's roughly about 2 cups. If you get the bigger "bocconcini", just half or quarter them.
- 1/2 tsp. coarse salt (sea salt, kosher salt) more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper optional, to taste
- fresh basil leaves for garnish, chopped optional
Instructions
- Cook orzo: Put a large pot of water on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add a big pinch of salt to the water and bring it to a boil. Add the orzo pasta and cook according to package directions, until the pasta is al dente (typically about 8 minutes). When the pasta is al dente, drain it, reserving about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
- Prep veggies: While the orzo cooks, prepare the vegetables. Wash and halve the fresh tomatoes and slice the cucumbers into small bite-sized pieces. Halve the mozzarella balls, if needed.
- Add: Add the cooked orzo to a large bowl and toss it with the olive oil. This will help to keep the pasta from clumping. Drizzle the pesto over the pasta and stir well to combine. If needed, add pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time to help bring the pasta and pesto sauce together. Discard any unused pasta water.
- Finish: Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, and cheese to the pasta salad. Toss well to mix all the ingredients. Top the pasta salad with fresh basil (optional), and season with salt and pepper to taste.I love serving this orzo salad at room temperature, but you can make it ahead and refrigerate it. Pull it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you're ready to serve it.
Notes
Casey’s Tips
- Use good pesto: Homemade or a high-quality store-bought pesto makes a big difference in flavor. Since there are so few ingredients in this recipe, every ingredient needs to shine!
- Leftovers: I like to reserve a bit of the pesto to mix into any leftovers to freshen it up a bit. A squeeze or two of lemon juice or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil also works well.
- Storage: This salad is great stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
This is a summertime staple! Take an extra 5 minutes and whip up your own pesto! You won’t be sorry! I hope you love it! XO ~ Casey