This Pesto Orzo Salad is super easy to make and bursting with fresh flavors. The perfect light lunch or a great side to any summer party, potluck or bbq. It is a real crowd pleaser that can be made ahead of time, ready in under 30 minutes.
This pesto orzo pasta salad is easy to make with just a few ingredients. A mix of store bought pesto (or homemade) and fresh basil and lemon juice makes a flavor bomb of a dressing for this pasta salad. Another pasta salad with red pesto to try is this gluten free and protein packed Red lentil pasta salad.
Pasta salads are so versatile and perfect for meal prep and can be served all year round! It can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, perfect to bring to the pot luck, bbq or summer picnics. Just like this Caprese pesto pasta salad or this Lemon orzo salad with feta.
Ingredients
The ingredients needed to make this orzo salad with pesto are listed below.
For the full recipe with the quantities, see the recipe card at the bottom or:
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- Orzo, a small pasta that has a similar shape as rice, traditionally made from white flour (also known as risoni). It can be substituted with other small pasta or a gluten free orzo if desired.
- Arugula, it is crispy and a little peppery to the sate and ads so much flavor and texture to this orzo pesto pasta salad. Other small greens like baby spinach can also be used.
- Red onion, ads a wonderful crunch and bite to this salad. Spring onions or shallots are another great option.
- Bell pepper, I used red in this lemony orzo salad, use any colour of choice.
- Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- Mini mozzarella, or a normal ball of mozzarella cut into chunks. For a vegan option, use vegan cheese alternative.
- Fresh basil or parsley, herbs adds freshness and lots of flavor to this pesto orzo pasta salad.
- Pesto, use store bought or homemade.
- Lemon, the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon ads a lot of freshness to this pesto salad.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making this orzo pasta salad with pesto is easy and fast. Follow the step by step photos below and watch the recipe video. For the full written recipe, see the recipe card at the bottom.
- Step 1: Boil the orzo according to the package instructions for al dente. Rinse with cold water and add to a salad bowl.
- Step 2: To the bowl with the cooked orzo, add the pesto and lemon juice, toss well to combine.
- Step 3: Add the chopped bell pepper, red onion, tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella and fresh basil.
- Step 4: Toss well to combine and add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Hint: This basil orzo salad makes a delicious side dish or it can be serve as a light lunch. Tastes great with a slice of homemade bread like this No knead olive bread or this No Knead Whole Wheat Bread.
Substitutions
- Pasta – The orzo can be substituted with other small pasta or a gluten free orzo if desired.
- Beans – For some extra protein, add some canned beens of choice like chickpeas, kidney beens or some canned lentils. Also check out this Chickpea Orzo Salad.
- Herbs – Instead of chopped fresh basil, other herbs like parsley or oregano also works well. The basil can also be left out or replaces with a little extra pesto if desired.
- Onion – The red onion, ads a nice crunch and bite to this salad. It can also be replaced with pickled red onion, copped spring onions or shallots. If you don’t like onions, just leave them out.
- Bell pepper – This recipe uses red bell pepper, but you can use any color of choice. Another great option is to use canned roasted red peppers that have been drained and chopped.
Another great salad to try is this Curried couscous salad or this Quinoa and lentil salad.
Variations
- Vegan – for a vegan pasta salad, use a vegan pesto and a vegan mozzarella cheese.
- Nuts – For a little crunch, add some toasted nuts of choice or pine nuts. For an allergy friendly salad, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds are good options.
- Greens – Instead of the arugula, add some baby spinach, chopped romain or greens of choice.
- Veggies – Add more veggies to this salad, some great options are, avocado, chopped cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes or your favourite veggies.
- Beans – Add some cooked beans like kidney beans, chickpeas or cannellini beans. Any kind of beans will work in this orzo pesto salad, use your favourite!
- Spicy – For a spicy pasta salad, add some red chill flakes or sliced fresh chili to taste.
For another easy to make side salad, check out this Quinoa and lentil salad or this Mediterranean tomato and cucumber salad.
Storage
This healthy pesto pasta salad makes a great side that will keep for up to 4 days. Place the leftover salad in an airtight container and store in the fridge.
It is a great salad to keep in the fridge and serve throughout the week as a side dish or light lunch or dinner. After bering stored, toss the salad before serving. Add a little fresh arugula is desired.
This salad with pesto does not freeze well, so I don’t recommend that.
Top Tip
This vegetable orzo salad is bursting with flavor from pesto mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Use store bought pesto or make your own. Another option is to use red pesto or substitute the pesto for this Sun dried tomato vinaigrette.
FAQ
No, I don’t recommend freezing this orzo pasta salad. Freezing it will change the texture of the vegetables and arugula when defrosted. Better to store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Orzo is a small pasta that has a similar shape as rice, but is not a grain. It is traditionally made from white flour. Orzo is also known as risoni.
Yes, you can substitute the orzo with a small pasta shape of choice. If you use a larger pasta like rigatoni or peppers pasta I would use double the amount of dry pasta verser the orzo.
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This Pesto Orzo Salad is super easy to make and bursting with fresh flavors. The perfect light lunch or a great side to any summer party, potluck or bbq. It is a real crowd pleaser that can be made ahead of time, ready in under 30 minutes.
- 1 ½ cups uncooked orzo
- 2 cups arugula or baby spinach
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 1 cup mini mozzarella or chopped mozzarella
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- ¼ cup pesto
- 1 large lemon, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
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Cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain and rinse the orzo. Add to a large salad bowl.
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Add the pesto and lemon juice to the cooked orzo and stir well to combine.
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To the salad bowl with the orzo, add the arugula or baby spinach, chopped red pepper, tomatoes, red onion, mozzarella cheese and chopped basil.
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Gently toss together the salad and top with some extra basil, salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
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