Quick and Easy Pesto Orzo Salad Caprese Recipe :- The simplest pasta salad dish you’ll cook this season is Pesto Orzo Salad, which blends the flavors of a traditional summer caprese salad with little orzo noodles. This vibrant, herbaceous pasta salad, ideal for cookouts, picnics, potlucks, lunch, or dinner, combines pasta, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, arugula, and chickpeas in just twenty minutes. Very adaptable, in fact!
Quick and Easy Pesto Orzo Salad Caprese Recipe
Filled with vibrant summer tastes, pesto orzo pasta salad mixes the traditional Italian trio of flavors—along with a few more for good measure—to a pasta salad that resembles caprese near you. The best part is that it can be made in only 20 minutes with just 7 ingredients!
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INGREDIENTS
- 1½ pounds grape, cherry or pear tomatoes, cut in half or quartered if large
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed under running water and drained
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella, pulled into bite-sized shreds or diced (tiny perline can be used!)
- Large handful baby arugula (about 2 to 3 ounces)
- 1 pound orzo pasta + salt for pasta water
- 1 cup pesto at room temperature, either homemade or store-bought (about 8 ounces)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- To Taste salt and black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare and collect all ingredients in accordance with the aforementioned guidelines. If you don’t have any pesto on hand, make some. Heat up a big saucepan of water until it boils.
(For step-by-step directions with images, please refer to the blog post’s section above.)
one cup of pesto
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, chickpeas, mozzarella, and arugula. When the water reaches a rolling boil, add the salt and pasta, stirring constantly.
A large handful of young arugula, one pound of orzo pasta, one pound of fresh mozzarella, two (15-ounce) cans of chickpeas, and one-half pound of grape, cherry, or pear tomatoes
After the orzo pasta is al dente, drain it thoroughly in a strainer and give it a quick rinse with cold water. Next, combine it with the beans, cheese, and vegetables in a bowl with the pesto and olive oil.
1 cup pesto and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Mix everything carefully until everything is evenly distributed and covered in olive oil and pesto. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
To Smell: black pepper and salt
This dish is definitely best served heated right away. If not, chill it for a minimum of 60 minutes to provide a classic chilled pasta salad. Salutations!
NOTES
This recipe makes a big bowl of salad, around 13 to 14 cups, which is great for a get-together (the orzo pasta really stretches!). I estimated that each part would be roughly one cup, but feel free to alter. For a lower yield, you may also just cut this recipe in half.
For this recipe, I used tiny orzo, but any little or medium-sized short pasta would be suitable. Long spaghetti would also work well in this recipe if you intend to eat it hot rather than as a salad!
This salad can be prepared up to two days ahead of time, but if you intend to do so, I recommend adding the arugula immediately before serving. Just before serving, taste and adjust the seasonings once more.
Remaining food can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days if it is sealed tightly. Enjoy warm in a small pan over medium-low heat, or cold or at room temperature. It is not advised to freeze.
