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Orzo Pesto Salad with roasted tomatoes and mozzarella pearls

25-Minute Orzo Pesto Salad

Print Recipe
This Orzo Pesto Salad is light, fresh, and bursting with flavor. Only 7 ingredients and 25 minutes required.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Sides
Cuisine American
Diet Vegetarian
Keyword 30 Minutes or Less, Orzo Pesto Salad, Pasta Salad, Pesto, Pesto Pasta, Roasted Tomatoes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Marley Goldin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup orzo uncooked
  • ⅓ cup pesto
  • 4 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
  • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F and bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil in a medium-sized pot.
  • Once the water is boiling, add the orzo and cook al dente, about 8-10 minutes. Strain the orzo and add it to a large bowl. Add the pesto right away and stir to coat, so the orzo doesn't stick together.
    1 cup orzo, ⅓ cup pesto
    Mixing pesto and cooked orzo
  • Meanwhile, rinse and slice the grape tomatoes in half lengthwise.
    Grape tomatoes sliced in half lengthwise
  • Add the prepped tomatoes to a baking sheet and add the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to evenly coat.
    Baking sheet with grape tomatoes tossed in oil, salt, and pepper
  • Roast the tomatoes for 10-15 minutes until the skin starts to wrinkle.
    Just-roasted grape tomatoes
  • Add the roasted cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls to the pesto-coated orzo and stir to combine. Serve hot or cold!
    Adding mozzarella and roasted grape tomatoes to pesto orzo

Notes

  • Watch your tomatoes closely—burnt tomatoes can taste really bitter. If you do burn your tomatoes, consider tossing them in a little bit of honey or maple syrup to balance out that bitterness. 
  • For more vegetarian pasta options, check out this list of Hearty Meatless Pasta Meals. 
  • For more recipes with pesto, check out this list of Best Pesto Recipes!