Pesto Orzo Pasta Salad
This flavorful pesto orzo salad is the perfect side dish for summer! Made with a few simple ingredients in under 10 minutes, you’ll want this salad recipe on deck all season long.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked orzo
- ½ cup fresh pesto or more to taste
- ¾ cup grape tomatoes diced small
- ¾ cup mozzarella pearls
- ½ cup kalamata olives sliced
- ½ cup canned artichoke hearts chopped
- ½ cup red onion diced small
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to the package instructions, or until thoroughly soft. I like to cook it a step past al dente.
- While the orzo cooks, chop your veggies and add them to a large bowl.
- Once the pasta is done, drain it and run the noodles under cold water for a couple of minutes. Add cooked orzo to the large bowl and toss immediately in pesto.
- Add lemon juice over the top and stir to incorporate. Serve immediately or store in the fridge.
Notes
- Make sure your pasta is thoroughly cooked. I’ve found that the package instructions for orzo leave it undercooked (this does vary, though). Once pasta is cooled, it shrinks up even more and can become hard. I recommend tasting your orzo and being sure that it's very soft all the way through the center.
- Use fresh ingredients. The fresher your tomatoes, pasta, pesto, and cheese are, the better the salad will be!
- Rinse your pasta in cold water and toss it in pesto immediately after draining it. Orzo tends to clump together, but these steps will avoid that.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 7gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 467mgPotassium: 122mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 533IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 1mg
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