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Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad

Ready in 20 minutes, this easy orzo pesto pasta salad recipe features tender orzo pasta, fresh basil pesto, and juicy cherry tomatoes for a quick meal or tasty side dish.

Orzo pesto pasta salad in a serving bowl.

Pesto pasta salad is incredibly easy to make—just cook the pasta, toss the ingredients together, and you’re done! It’s a fresh, easy side dish for BBQs, potlucks, or any gathering. Pesto with fresh greens, nuts, and garlic is a great way to flavor any dish, especially pasta! If you are gluten-free, try my gluten-free pasta salad with pesto and asparagus.

Key Ingredients

One of my favorite things about making pasta salad is that it requires minimal prep work. Here’s what you need to get started.

  • Chicken Broth: Simmer the orzo in homemade chicken broth or your favorite store-bought chicken broth or stock for additional flavor, or cook the pasta in salted water.
  • Orzo: Orzo is a type of pasta that looks similar to rice. It is a perfect grain for this easy pasta salad because orzo cooks quickly.
  • Salt: Include salt to flavor the pasta, depending on the chicken broth and pesto you add.
  • Pesto: Make your own pesto sauce using fresh garlic cloves, pine nuts, salt, grated parmesan, fresh basil leaves, and good quality extra virgin olive oil. Or substitute it with store-bought pesto; I like the Kirkland pesto from Costco. 
  • Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are the perfect addition to the salad. I recommend cutting cherry or grape tomatoes in half to make them easier to eat.
  • Pine Nuts: Stir in a handful of toasted pine nuts, or try hulled sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
  • Cheese: Finish the orzo pesto pasta salad with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Additions and Substitutions

Pesto pasta salad is easy to customize by swapping the orzo for another pasta, adding fresh veggies, or switching up the pesto flavor. The side dish is an easy recipe to make your own.

  • Get in some greens. Add spinach and arugula or fresh herbs like basil and mint while the pasta is still warm so the greens wilt and combine with the other ingredients.
  • Load up on veggies. Include artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, cucumber, red onion, sun-dried tomatoes, or kalamata olives.
  • Experiment with the pesto. Swap out traditional basil pesto for pistachio pesto, walnut pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, arugula pesto, or a nut-free version like my AIP pesto to meet your dietary needs.
  • Add some protein. Add thin-cut chicken breast, shredded chicken, baked shrimp, chickpeas, or white beans to make the salad a complete meal.
  • Don’t forget the dairy. Make it Caprese style with small mozzarella balls, feta cheese, or goat cheese instead of parmesan.
  • Looking for an orzo substitute? Are you wondering what to use instead of orzo? Check out these orzo substitutes, and find one that works for you.

How to Make Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad

The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Bring a saute pan of chicken broth and salt to a boil over medium heat. Add the orzo and reduce the heat. Cook the pasta, according to the package. Transfer the al dente pasta to a serving bowl.

Orzo pasta cooking in a pan.

Cooking Tip

Cook the pasta slightly less than the package directions suggest to keep the noodles al dente and toss the noodles with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil, as needed.

Step 2: Combine the garlic, pine nuts, and salt in a food processor until crumbly. Add the parmesan cheese and basil leaves and process until combined. Then, stir in the olive oil.

Pesto in a bowl.

Step 3: Add one cup of pesto, tomatoes, and pine nuts to the serving bowl. Stir to combine. Stir in fresh lemon juice and more olive oil, as needed, until the pesto fully disperses.

Ingredients for the pasta salad in a bowl.
Orzo pesto pasta salad in a serving bowl.

Expert Tips

  • Cook the orzo al dente. The last thing you want when making pasta salad is sticky, overcooked pasta noodles. Follow the package instructions or reduce the recommended cooking time by a few minutes for al dente pasta, which according to Chef Alex Aïnouz on an episode of Milkstreet means firm, but not undercooked. Then, toss it with a small amount of olive oil to loosen it up.
  • Use a thin pesto. You want the pesto in this orzo salad to be on the looser side to thoroughly coat the pasta. Some pesto recipes are thick, so you may need to include extra olive oil until the pesto is smooth. Then, gently fold the ingredients together while the pasta is warm.

If you enjoy this easy orzo pesto pasta salad, try even more pasta recipes!  

Orzo pesto pasta salad in a serving bowl.

What to Serve with Orzo Pasta Salad

The refreshing orzo pesto pasta salad will be your new go-to for weekly meal prep, especially since you can make it ahead for dinner with grilled chicken drumsticks, baked meatballs, and these fried salmon bites for a busy night or spread it out for lunches all week.

Serve it as a main dish alongside a simple arugula spinach salad with miso vinaigrette and a slice of Dutch oven sourdough bread.

And since you can serve pasta salad room temperature or chilled, it is a great option for picnics, game days, and BBQs with other potluck favorites such as Tim Walt’s hot dish, watermelon beet salad, Dutch oven mac and cheese, and avocado cucumber tomato salad.

What To Do With Leftovers

  • Refrigerate: Store the leftover orzo pesto pasta salad in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  • Freeze: I do not recommend freezing the dish.

More Pesto Recipes: 

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Orzo pesto pasta salad in a serving bowl.

Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad

Tressa Jamil
Ready in 20 minutes, this orzo pesto pasta salad combines tender orzo, basil pesto, and juicy tomatoes for an easy weekday meal or side dish.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 383 kcal
Ingredients
  
For the Basil Pesto:
For the Pasta Salad:
Instructions
 
  • Bring a saute pan of chicken broth and salt to a boil over medium heat. Add the orzo and reduce the heat. Cook the pasta, according to the package. Transfer the al dente pasta to a serving bowl.
    Tip: Cook the pasta slightly less than the package directions suggest to keep the noodles al dente and toss the noodles with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil, as needed.
  • While the pasta cooks, make homemade pesto or use store-bought pesto.
    Combine the garlic, pine nuts, and salt in a food processor until crumbly. Add the parmesan cheese and basil leaves and process until combined. Then, stir in the olive oil.
  • Add one cup of pesto, tomatoes, and pine nuts to the serving bowl. Stir to combine. Stir in fresh lemon juice and more olive oil, as needed, until the pesto fully disperses.
Notes
Expert Tips:
  • Cook the orzo al dente. The last thing you want when making pasta salad is sticky, overcooked pasta noodles. Follow the package instructions or reduce the recommended cooking time by a few minutes for al dente pasta, which according to Chef Alex Aïnouz on an episode of Milkstreet means firm, but not undercooked. Then, toss it with a small amount of olive oil to loosen it up.
  • Use a thin pesto. You want the pesto in this orzo salad to be on the looser side to thoroughly coat the pasta. Some pesto recipes are thick, so you may need to include extra olive oil until the pesto is smooth. Then, gently fold the ingredients together while the pasta is warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 383 kcal | Carbohydrates: 42 g | Protein: 9 g | Fat: 20 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2 g | Cholesterol: 11 mg | Sodium: 1036 mg | Potassium: 161 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 3 g | Vitamin A: 955 IU | Vitamin C: 3 mg | Calcium: 84 mg | Iron: 1 mg
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