Orzo with Pesto
This Orzo with Pesto is a fresh, herby pasta salad tossed with basil pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and pine nuts while the orzo is still warm. Easy to put together and perfect for making ahead.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 353kcal
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 1 cup orzo
- ¼ cup pine nuts (lightly toasted)
- ¼ cup sultanas
- 2 tablespoon capers (roughly chopped)
- 3 oz sun dried tomatoes (80 grams)
- ½ cup peppers (diced)
- 1 small red onion (diced)
- 1 cup radishes (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon wild garlic pesto
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Dressing
- 1 juice and zest of lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon dill (finely chopped)
Instructions
Prepare the Orzo Pasta
- Place a pan filled with water + salt on medium heat and bring it to a boil.
- Add your orzo pasta and cook it for nine minutes (or as long as it is stated on the packaging). You can cook a couple of more minutes if you don't like your orzo al dente.
- Drain the orzo well and give it a very quick rinse under cold water, just enough to stop the cooking, so it's still warm rather than hot. This prevents the orzo from getting too soft and soggy.
- Set it aside to drain any extra moisture, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking together.
Prepare the Ingredients
- Peel and dice the red onion.
- Deseed and dice the peppers the same size as the onions.
- Trim the tops and tips of the radishes and slice them finely.
- Roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes and capers.
- Lightly toast the pine nuts for intensifying the flavor.
- Wash, dry, and finely chop the herbs.
- Zest and juice one lemon.
Build the Salad
- Place the warm orzo pasta in a large bowl.
- Toss in the pesto and seasoning straight away and mix well until combined, then let it cool for about 10 minutes.
- Once the dressed orzo has cooled slightly, add the diced peppers, onions, sliced radishes, chopped capers, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs, lemon juice & zest, olive oil, pine nuts, and sultanas.
- Mix all together gently with two forks until all nicely combined.
Notes
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. I don't recommend freezing this salad, as the fresh vegetables lose their texture once thawed.
- You can cook the orzo and prep the vegetables up to two days ahead and keep them separate until you're ready to toss everything together.
- You can use cooked whole grain rice instead of orzo if you want to make this salad gluten-free.
- No wild garlic pesto on hand? A regular basil pesto works just as well.
- Toss the pesto through the orzo while it's still warm so it coats every grain, then let it cool for about 10 minutes before adding the vegetables and herbs.
- Give the orzo a very quick rinse under cold water right after draining, just enough to stop it cooking, so it doesn't turn soft and sticky.
- Season the pasta water generously with salt, it's your best chance to season the orzo itself.
- Use the best and freshest ingredients you can possibly get, and always use extra virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice for the dressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 0.3mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 1124mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 524IU | Vitamin C: 47mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 4mg