Orzo Pesto Salad

This easy and delicious orzo pesto salad comes together with only a few ingredients. Full of bright, fresh flavor, this hearty pesto orzo salad is perfect for an easy weeknight meal or a meal prep lunch!

This hearty orzo pesto salad is bursting with fresh flavors. Full of cherry tomatoes, peas, basil, shallots, and cheese tossed in a lemony pesto sauce, this pesto orzo pasta salad is just what you need this week! It’s so refreshing and you can eat it straight out of the fridge.

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s so easy to make! The most cooking you have to do is bringing a pot of water to a boil to cook the orzo pasta and the peas. The hardest part about the recipe is probably cutting the cherry tomatoes. It takes like 20 minutes or less to whip up this pesto orzo salad.
• Cold pasta salad meals are the easiest meal prep ever! You don’t have to heat anything up! Simply take it out of the fridge and enjoy!
• I love the bright, tangy, and fresh flavors of the orzo pesto salad. There’s just something so delish about a ton of fresh, sweet basil.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• lemon — fresh lemon juice is ideal as it tastes more bright and fresh than bottled lemon juice. I also use lemon zest for extra lemon flavor.
• pesto sauce — you can use store-bought or homemade pesto sauce.
• orzo pasta — I use orzo pasta but if you don’t have any on hand, you can use any small pasta shape.
• peas — frozen peas don’t just add a pop of color but are good for you as well! Frozen is great, as you can just add them into the water with the orzo for a minute.
• cherry or grape tomatoes — I prefer cherry or grape tomatoes, but you can always dice up Roma tomatoes.
• shallots — you can use red onions or shallots. I prefer shallots as they’re a little more mild and sweeter.
• bocconcini — I cut up some mini bocconcini, but if you can’t find them, you can rip or cut some mozzarella up. Alternatively, you can use feta or goat cheese.
• basil — the more, the merrier! This orzo pesto pasta is perfect for when you have a basil plant on overdrive in the summer.

How to Make Orzo Pesto Salad

• Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, and pesto sauce in a small mixing bowl.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water has boiled, add the orzo. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the frozen peas and continue to cook for another minute, and then drain and rinse under cold water.
• Add the orzo and peas to a large bowl and toss with the lemon pesto sauce.

• Add the halved cherry tomatoes, diced shallots, bocconcini, and basil to the pesto orzo and peas.
• Toss until combined. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• Check your pasta package to check how long it takes for the pasta to cook to al denta. My orzo takes 8 minutes to cook.
• You can add additional vegetables such as chopped spinach, bell peppers, carrots, and more. This pasta is also wonderful with chopped grilled chicken on top or leftover shredded chicken or any protein you have on hand.
• Make sure the pot you use to cook the pasta is large enough that you can stir the pasta without splashing any water out. Stirring the pasta while it cooks helps them cook more evenly, especially if some pasta is stuck together.
• Salt the water the pasta cooks in generously.
• Got extra pesto? Freeze it for later!
• Remember to zest the lemon before juicing. You can also roll the lemon on the counter under your palm to loosen the juices, to make juicing the lemon easier.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: once cooled, store the pesto orzo pasta in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Want Another Easy Pasta Recipe?

• Taco Pasta
• Chicken Pepperoni Pasta Salad
• Chicken Spinach Pasta Salad
• One Pot Chicken, Broccoli, and Peas Pasta
• Chicken Pasta with Broccoli and Peas
• Turkey Spaghetti

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