Orzo, pesto, tomatoes, olives and TONS of flavor – this easy orzo pesto salad is the one I make on repeat all summer. It’s a quick, vibrant Mediterranean pasta salad that’s perfect for BBQs, parties or make-ahead lunches. Toss it together in under 30 minutes and enjoy it cold from the fridge or at room temperature (it travels like a dream!)
I think this might be my ultimate desert island dish. My mum used to make a version of it back home in New Zealand and it’s never let me down. It’s the salad I bring to every barbecue, garden party, or picnic and it’s always a hit. Even better, it keeps brilliantly and the flavors only get better as it sits, making it perfect for make-ahead lunches all week.
The base is loosely inspired by a Caprese salad – think pesto, tomatoes and fresh basil – but this recipe is super flexible. Add your own twist with crunchy bell peppers, scallions, cucumber, red onion or sundried tomatoes. You can also swap the basil pesto for a sun-dried tomato pesto or wild garlic (ramp) pesto when it’s in season.
And yes, my boyfriend regularly sneaks spoonfuls of it straight from the fridge. It’s that good!
Ingredients
- Orzo. I LOVE orzo in pasta salads. It’s a small, almost rice-like pasta shape that’s brilliant in this recipe because it matches the size of all the other ingredients, and is easily scooped up with a spoon (key in my opinion!) But, you can use another small dried pasta shape like macaroni or fusilli if you can’t find orzo.
- Pesto. Try to find a good quality, fresh pesto if you can, because it will really make the salad. The pesto is the primary flavour, so you want it to taste good! If you’d like to make your own, give my homemade basil pesto recipe a go (I promise it’s super easy!)
- Cherry tomatoes. I like vine cherry tomatoes because they have the best flavor, and much like with pesto, it’s key to use good quality ingredients here.
- Olives. I’m not the biggest fan of olives, EXCEPT for Kalamata olives. They are just such delicious little flavour bombs, and I always have a jar in my fridge. You can use whatever olive you prefer here if you don’t have Kalamata. Don’t like them? Swap them for sundried tomatoes.
- Pine nuts. These little beauties bring texture and crunch to the salad, so don’t skip them. They can be expensive, so you can replace them with a different nut or seed. Walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds would work well.
OPTIONAL ADDITIONS: Add whatever crunchy veggies you have to hand – bell peppers are great, or cucumber, red onion and scallions.
How to Make the Orzo Pesto Salad
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then cook the orzo until al dente (you want it to still have a little bite). Drain, then rinse under cold water. This stops the cooking, helps cool it quickly and prevents the orzo from clumping together.
Once the orzo is cooked and cooled and your veggies are prepped, add everything to a large bowl. Spoon in the pesto and give it a really good mix – you want every piece of orzo coated and glossy. If the pesto feels a little thick, loosen it with a splash of olive oil or a squeeze of lemon juice before tossing everything together. Then you’re ready to serve!
Orzo Pesto Salad FAQs
I find that this salad really can be a meal in itself, but it’s wonderful as a side for a BBQ or picnic. I love that it’s so easy to prepare in advance and transports well, so it’s a great one to take along to events or parties to enjoy with friends and family. Or, pair it with grilled meat (it’s lovely with miso grilled chicken, gochujang chicken, honey harissa chicken or lamb koftas) or a selection of other salads.
You certainly can! In fact, I often think it tastes even better the next day. It will last for 5 days in the fridge in a covered container, but if you’re preparing it to take to a barbecue or picnic, I’d wait to add the cherry tomatoes until the day of, if possible. They can get a little soggy when chopped in the fridge.
You can really add anything to this salad – sometimes I’ll throw in diced cucumber or red bell peppers. If you want to keep that lovely salty quality, try using capers or sundried tomatoes.
Yes, you can! If you can’t find orzo, go for another small dried pasta shape like macaroni or fusilli.
Technically, yes, you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. When defrosted, you’ll find it has a strange, gummy texture and just won’t be a good experience to eat.
Like this recipe? Here are some more salads you might enjoy
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can leave a recipe rating and a comment below. And remember to tag @DishedByKate on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok if you’ve made one of my recipes. Seeing your recreations really makes my day 😊.
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Super Easy Make Ahead Orzo Pesto Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This super easy orzo pesto salad will become your go-to for parties, meal prep or as a quick, healthy weeknight meal. It’s as simple as mixing orzo with lots of herby homemade basil pesto, tomatoes, parmesan and olives (or crunchy veggies of your choice!) It’s fab for feeding a crowd, keeps really well and is full of Mediterranean flavors everyone will love.
I’ve included my recipe for basil pesto below if you’d like to give it a go, otherwise, just use whatever pesto you can find in the store.
Ingredients
For the orzo pesto salad –
- 12 oz (350g) orzo (or any small dried pasta like ditalini or macaroni)
- 1 pint (350g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 3 scallions (spring onions), thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta (optional)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or sub: crushed walnuts, cashews, sunflower or pumpkin seeds)
- 3/4 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade – see below)
- Salt, to taste
For the homemade pesto –
- 2 packed cups of fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or use cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, sunflower or pumpkin seeds)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Make your pesto (skip this step if you’re using store-bought pesto). Add 2 cups of basil leaves, ½ cup grated parmesan, ⅓ cup pine nuts (or alternative), 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of salt to the bowl of a food processor and blitz for a minute, until it turns into a rough paste. Scrape down the sides. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to create a lovely emulsified pesto.
- Cook the orzo. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the orzo and cook until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite), about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Prepare the other ingredients. While the orzo cooks, prepare the rest of your salad ingredients, and toast your pine nuts (or alternative) in a small dry pan over medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes, until fragrant and golden.
- Cool the orzo. Drain the orzo and rinse it thoroughly under cold water. This stops it cooking, cools the pasta quickly and washes off excess starch to prevent clumping.
- Make the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooled orzo, prepared vegetables, olives, cheeses, toasted nuts, and pesto. Add a few grinds of black pepper and toss everything to coat the pasta evenly. Taste and adjust the salt if needed (depending on how salty your pesto is). Serve right away, or pop into the fridge until you’re ready.
Notes
INGREDIENT NOTES: This salad is really flexible, based on what you have to hand and what you like. Swap the olives for sundried tomatoes or jarred artichokes, and add diced cucumber, red onion, and buffalo mozzarella (it’s lovely with little bocconcini balls). You can also add some grilled chicken or tofu to bulk it out with more protein. Use sunflower seeds, pumpkin (pepita seeds) or chopped nuts (like almonds, cashews, hazelnuts or pistachios) in place of the pine nuts.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: This pesto orzo salad keeps really well. Store it in the fridge in a covered container for up to 5 days (though it’s likely it’ll be gone far quicker than that!) The cherry tomatoes tend to go a little soggy, so if you are preparing this to take to a party, add them the day you want to serve the salad for maximum freshness.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: pasta
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 300g
- Calories: 412
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 469.9mg
- Fat: 18.4g
- Saturated Fat: 5.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 46.7g
- Fiber: 4.2g
- Protein: 14.8g
- Cholesterol: 12.2mg
This dish is a hit! I was able to make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge, making it the perfect chilled summer dish for a hot night.
Yayyyy this makes me very happy!!