Pesto Orzo is a fast and simple meatless supper that functions as a side meal that can be served in addition to your preferred grilled meats and seafood. This vibrant summer season recipe takes just thirty minutes and needs one pan – best for hectic household weeknights. Make basil pesto from scratch or utilize a store-bought kind. This crowd-pleasing pasta meal is fantastic for sharing at picnics, meals, and barbecue celebrations

Pesto orzo – meatless supper or side meal

This recipe is a fast and simple mix of orzo pasta, cherry tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese, pine nuts, fresh basil, and naturally, basil pesto. You can make basil pesto from scratch or utilize a store-bought kind. Pesto orzo is loaded with taste and can be made eleventh hour – it’s that simple! It’s flexible and quickly versatile to whatever ingredients you have offered. A range of veggies and cheeses can be utilized here. You can even include your preferred protein, such as prepared rotisserie chicken, pan-seared shrimp, baked salmon, or your preferred grilled meats.

Why you’ll enjoy it

  • 30-minute, one-pan weeknight pasta meal. Pesto orzo is my go-to recipe for a fast supper. It needs basic ingredients, takes under thirty minutes to make, and you need just one pan! The clean-up is very little. Store-bought basil pesto works fantastic here!
  • Great for leftovers. This pasta meal reheats well and makes a fantastic lunch the next day!
  • Versatile recipe. Utilize your preferred veggies. I enjoy cherry tomatoes with pesto orzo, however you can likewise include roasted bell peppers, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, or artichokes.
  • Crowd-pleasing side meal. Pesto orzo is an essential in your summer season recipe collection. It can be made beforehand, it keeps well cooled and can be served at space temperature level. Bring it to picnics, meals, barbecue celebrations, and other celebrations. It ended up being a staple for my household’s summer season events!

Pesto Orzo with Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, and Pine Nuts.

What is Orzo?

Orzo is a short-cut pasta looking like long-grain rice fit. It is made from flour, like normal pasta. Frequently, orzo is made with semolina (durum wheat utilized for making pasta).

How to prepare the orzo?

Normally, the orzo is prepared in 1:2 percentage to water, for instance, 1 cup of orzo in 2 cups of water, or 1.5 cups of orzo in 3 cups of water. Prepare according to package guidelines, which typically implies 10 minutes. You may need to include a percentage of liquid about 5 minutes into the cooking if the orzo is too dry, to make certain it does not adhere to the bottom of the frying pan. You can utilize water, chicken stock, beef stock, or veggie broth to prepare orzo.

Pesto Orzo with Tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, and Pine Nuts - in a cast iron skillet.

Pesto Orzo (One-Pan, 30-Minute Meal)

Pesto Orzo is a fast and simple meatless supper that functions as a side meal that can be served in addition to your preferred grilled meats and seafood. This vibrant summer season recipe takes just thirty minutes and needs one pan – best for hectic household weeknights. Make basil pesto from scratch or utilize a store-bought kind. This crowd-pleasing meal is fantastic for sharing at picnics, meals, and barbecue celebrations

Preparation Time 10 minutes

Prepare Time 20 minutes

Overall Time 30 minutes

Course Main Dish, Side Meal

Food American, Italian, Mediterranean

Author: Julia

Ingredients

  • 1.5 cups orzo
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 10 oz cherry tomatoes ( red and yellow), sliced in half
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 cup basil pesto
  • 5 oz fresh Mozzarella cheese ” pearls” – little balls
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • fresh basil leaves
  • salt and pepper

Guidelines

  • In a big, high-sided frying pan, integrate orzo and water. Give a quick boil, decrease to a noticeable simmer, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes (according to package guidelines). Inspect the orzo 5 minutes into the cooking, and stir it to avoid it from staying with the bottom of the pan. Orzo is prepared when all the water is taken in and the orzo has a good soft texture of prepared pasta. You may need to include more water at the end if the orzo is undercooked or the water vaporizes too quickly.

  • Get rid of prepared orzo to a big bowl.

  • To the exact same, now empty, frying pan include olive oil, minced garlic, half of the cherry tomatoes (conserving the other half of tomatoes for later), red chili flakes, dried oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Prepare on medium heat, stirring, for 4 minutes, till the tomatoes launch juices and garlic is softened.

  • Include prepared orzo, juice squeezed from half a lemon, the staying cherry tomatoes, and the majority of basil pesto. Stir whatever well together.

  • Coat Mozzarella “pearls” with the staying basil pesto in a different bowl (you can utilize the exact same bowl where you kept prepared orzo). Include them to the orzo, stirring some in, and positioning others over the pasta.

  • Season with salt and red pepper flakes.

  • Leading with pine nuts and fresh basil leaves.

Nutrition Disclaimer:

The dietary details on this site is just a quote and is offered benefit and as a courtesy just. The precision of the dietary details for any recipe on this website is not ensured. It needs to not be utilized as a replacement for an expert nutritional expert’s guidance.

What matches pesto orzo?

Include your preferred protein to turn this pasta meal into a healthy, total meal. Easy concepts are remaining prepared chicken, rotisserie chicken, grilled meats, shrimp, salmon, or scallops. Here are my preferred protein-based recipes that combine well with pesto orzo:

Other orzo recipes you may take pleasure in

Replacements, variations, and add-ins

  • Pasta. You can make this recipe with any other sort of short-cut pasta, such as bow-tie (farfalle), spiral pasta (fusilli), penne, or rigatoni.
  • Rice is a fantastic (and gluten-free!) replacement for orzo. After all, orzo is formed extremely likewise to rice!
  • Basil pesto. I enjoy making basil pesto from scratch, however the store-bought kind works simply great in this recipe! I choose pesto offered in the cooled areas of supermarket.
  • Veggies. The appeal of pesto orzo is that it sets well with a lot of veggies. Pick your favorites or whatever you have offered! I advise tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, and arugula.
  • Cheese. I utilized Mozzarella “pearls” (little balls of fresh Mozzarella cheese). You can likewise utilize cubed or grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Feta.
  • Nuts are optional however include a lot to pesto orzo. My favorites are pine nuts and pistachios.
  • Include protein. Remaining prepared chicken, rotisserie chicken, grilled meats, and seafood will include an increase of protein to this pasta meal.
  • Include cream – it will include lusciousness and richness.

Storage Tips

  • Refrigerator. Keep pesto orzo cooled in an airtight container for approximately 4 days!
  • Freezer. You can freeze it for approximately 2 months.

How to reheat

  • Stove-top. Reheat over low-medium heat in any sort of properly sized cooking pan. Include a percentage of olive oil when reheating, and stir typically. You can likewise include more basil pesto rather of olive oil when reheating.
  • Microwave. Reheat pesto orzo in a deep, high-sided microwave-safe meal (bowl) for about 30 seconds. Get rid of from the microwave, stir whatever well. Go back to the oven and reheat for 30 more seconds or more, till heated up through. Include a touch of fresh basil pesto for more taste.


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