Orzo with Pesto (Pasta Salad)
It doesn’t get much easier that this pesto orzo pasta salad. It’s easy to make and comes together in less than 30 minutes! It features a delicious creamy pesto, marinated tomatoes and two cheeses–parmesan and mozzarella! Also–this is tasty warm or as a cold pasta salad.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 8 oz orzo pasta
- 3/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- salt and pepper
- heaping 1/3 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella
- 3/4 cup pesto
Instructions
1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add a small palmful of salt to the water just before adding the pasta. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, until al dente (meaning with a little bite to it).
2. Marinate the tomatoes. Place chopped tomatoes in your serving bowl and add the red wine vinegar, oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir.
3. Make the pesto while you wait for the pasta to finish cooking and the tomatoes to marinate.
4. Drain and rinse the pasta. You don’t need to fully cool the pasta, just do a quick rinse. Add the pasta to the bowl with the tomatoes, then add the pesto and cheese. You can start with 1/2 cup pesto and add up to 1/4 cup more if you would like.
5. Serve topped with a little extra cheese and fresh basil if desired.
6. Enjoy!
Notes
Pesto – It’s hard to beat fresh homemade pesto, but you can certainly use a store-bought pesto that you love!
Tomatoes – sundried tomatoes, packed in oil and finely chopped can be substituted for the tomatoes. You will just need to use less because sundried tomatoes have a very strong flavor. Use about 1/4 cup chopped.
Nuts – instead of pepitas, use pine nuts or walnuts to make the pesto
Cheeses – feta cheese is also delicious with this pasta and can really be swapped for either cheese or used in place of both. Goat cheese works too!
Additions – Some yummy things to add in if you want to bulk this dish up: finely diced shallot or red onion in with the tomato to marinate and take the edge off. Extra chopped nuts/seeds of what ever type you use can be thrown in for extra texture + flavor. Marinated artichoke hearts are also a great addition for the same reasons.
Find it online: https://www.figjar.com/pesto-orzo/