Pesto Orzo is a fast and straightforward meatless dinner that doubles as a facet dish that may be served alongside along with your favourite grilled meats and seafood. This colourful summertime recipe takes solely half-hour and requires one pan – excellent for busy household weeknights. Make basil pesto from scratch or use a store-bought type. This crowd-pleasing pasta dish is nice for sharing at picnics, potlucks, and barbecue events.
Pesto orzo – meatless dinner or facet dish
This recipe is a fast and straightforward mixture of orzo pasta, cherry tomatoes, Mozzarella cheese, pine nuts, contemporary basil, and naturally, basil pesto. You’ll be able to make basil pesto from scratch or use a store-bought type. Pesto orzo is filled with taste and might be made final minute – it is that simple! It is versatile and simply adaptable to no matter substances you will have out there. A wide range of veggies and cheeses can be utilized right here. You’ll be able to even add your favourite protein, reminiscent of cooked rotisserie rooster, pan-seared shrimp, baked salmon, or your favourite grilled meats.
Why you will like it
- 30-minute, one-pan weeknight pasta dish. Pesto orzo is my go-to recipe for a fast dinner. It requires easy substances, takes underneath half-hour to make, and also you want just one pan! The cleanup is minimal. Retailer-bought basil pesto works nice right here!
- Nice for leftovers. This pasta dish reheats properly and makes an excellent lunch the following day!
- Versatile recipe. Use your favourite veggies. I really like cherry tomatoes with pesto orzo, however it’s also possible to add roasted bell peppers, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, or artichokes.
- Crowd-pleasing facet dish. Pesto orzo is a must have in your summer time recipe repertoire. It may be made prematurely, it retains properly refrigerated and might be served at room temperature. Deliver it to picnics, potlucks, barbecue events, and different festivities. It turned a staple for my household’s summer time gatherings!
What’s Orzo?
Orzo is a short-cut pasta resembling long-grain rice in form. It’s made out of flour, like common pasta. Typically, orzo is made with semolina (durum wheat used for making pasta).
How one can cook dinner the orzo?
Normally, the orzo is cooked in 1:2 proportion to water, for instance, 1 cup of orzo in 2 cups of water, or 1.5 cups of orzo in 3 cups of water. Cook dinner in accordance with package deal directions, which normally means 10 minutes. You may need so as to add a small quantity of liquid about 5 minutes into the cooking if the orzo is simply too dry, to verify it would not stick with the underside of the skillet. You should use water, rooster inventory, beef inventory, or vegetable broth to cook dinner orzo.
Pesto Orzo (One-Pan, 30-Minute Meal)
Pesto Orzo is a fast and straightforward meatless dinner that doubles as a facet dish that may be served alongside along with your favourite grilled meats and seafood. This colourful summertime recipe takes solely half-hour and requires one pan – excellent for busy household weeknights. Make basil pesto from scratch or use a store-bought type. This crowd-pleasing dish is nice for sharing at picnics, potlucks, and barbecue events.
Components
- 1.5 cups orzo
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes (purple and yellow), sliced in half
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon purple pepper flakes
- ½ lemon
- ¼ cup basil pesto
- 5 oz contemporary Mozzarella cheese “pearls” – small balls
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- contemporary basil leaves
- salt and pepper
DirectionsÂ
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In a big, high-sided skillet, mix orzo and water. Deliver to a short boil, cut back to a visual simmer, and cook dinner, coated, for about 10 minutes (in accordance with package deal directions). Verify the orzo 5 minutes into the cooking, and stir it to forestall it from sticking to the underside of the pan. Orzo is cooked when all of the water is absorbed and the orzo has a pleasant mushy texture of cooked pasta. You may need so as to add extra water on the finish if the orzo is undercooked or the water evaporates too quick.
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Take away cooked orzo to a big bowl.
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To the identical, now empty, skillet add olive oil, minced garlic, half of the cherry tomatoes (saving the opposite half of tomatoes for later), purple chili flakes, dried oregano, and salt and pepper to style. Cook dinner on medium warmth, stirring, for 4 minutes, till the tomatoes launch juices and garlic is softened.
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Add cooked orzo, juice squeezed from half a lemon, the remaining cherry tomatoes, and most of basil pesto. Stir all the things properly collectively.
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Coat Mozzarella “pearls” with the remaining basil pesto in a separate bowl (you should utilize the identical bowl the place you saved cooked orzo). Add them to the orzo, stirring some in, and putting others over the pasta.
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Season with salt and purple pepper flakes.
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Prime with pine nuts and contemporary basil leaves.
Vitamin Disclaimer:
The dietary info on this web site is barely an estimate and is supplied for comfort and as a courtesy solely. The accuracy of the dietary info for any recipe on this website isn’t assured. It shouldn’t be used as an alternative to an expert nutritionist’s recommendation.
What goes properly with pesto orzo?
Add your favourite protein to show this pasta dish right into a well-balanced, full meal. Simple concepts are leftover cooked rooster, rotisserie rooster, grilled meats, shrimp, salmon, or scallops. Listed here are my favourite protein-based recipes that pair properly with pesto orzo:
Different orzo recipes you may get pleasure from
Substitutions, variations, and add-ins
- Pasta. You may make this recipe with some other sort of short-cut pasta, reminiscent of bow-tie (farfalle), spiral pasta (fusilli), penne, or rigatoni.
- Rice is a good (and gluten-free!) substitute for orzo. In spite of everything, orzo is formed very equally to rice!
- Basil pesto. I really like making basil pesto from scratch, however the store-bought type works simply wonderful on this recipe! I choose pesto bought within the refrigerated sections of grocery shops.
- Veggies. The fantastic thing about pesto orzo is that it pairs properly with most greens. Select your favorites or no matter you will have out there! I like to recommend tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, spinach, and arugula.
- Cheese. I used Mozzarella “pearls” (small balls of contemporary Mozzarella cheese). You too can use cubed or grated Parmesan, Asiago, or Feta.
- Nuts are optionally available however add a lot to pesto orzo. My favorites are pine nuts and pistachios.
- Add protein. Leftover cooked rooster, rotisserie rooster, grilled meats, and seafood will add a lift of protein to this pasta dish.
- Add cream – it can add lusciousness and richness.
Storage Ideas
- Fridge. Hold pesto orzo refrigerated in an hermetic container for as much as 4 days!
- Freezer. You’ll be able to freeze it for as much as 2 months.
How one can reheat
- Range-top. Reheat over low-medium warmth in any sort of appropriately sized cooking pan. Add a small quantity of olive oil when reheating, and stir typically. You too can add extra basil pesto as a substitute of olive oil when reheating.
- Microwave oven. Reheat pesto orzo in a deep, high-sided microwave-safe dish (bowl) for about 30 seconds. Take away from the microwave oven, stir all the things properly. Return to the oven and reheat for 30 extra seconds or extra, till heated by. Add a contact of contemporary basil pesto for extra taste.
