Tender orzo pasta tossed with fresh basil pesto, tangy olives, sweet tomatoes, chickpeas and salty feta cheese. Perfect for meal prep, this orzo salad is excellent alone as an easy weekday meal or side dish.
This fresh and flavourful Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad makes a lovely lunch or light dinner, as well as an excellent side dish for BBQs, pot lucks or with most grilled protein.
Like my White Bean Salad and my Chopped Salad with Feta, this Orzo Salad is frequently on my weekly meal prep list. I love to make a batch to keep in the fridge for easy lunches and quick dinners during the week. Orzo Pesto Salad makes a filling and tasty meal alone, but is also a great side dish – I love it with grilled chicken or pan fried salmon.
Orzo Salad
If you have never tried orzo before, you may not realise it is actually a pasta. Sometimes called risoni, it is shaped like large grains of rice. Orzo is quick to cook and excellent served hot or cold. It’s super versatile – you can use it instead of pasta in a lot of dishes or in the place of rice.
If you are looking for different ways to use orzo try my Baked Mediterranean Orzo, Cajun Chicken Orzo and One-Pot Chorizo Orzo.
Ingredients for Orzo Pesto Salad
- Orzo – you can swap the orzo for any small pasta shape if you prefer. This salad also works well with cous cous or bulgar wheat.
- Fresh Basil Pesto – you can use homemade pesto or use your favourite brand. If using shop bought pesto I recommend fresh pesto from the refrigerated section of the supermarket if available, rather than jarred pesto but either will work well.
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Olives – I love pitted green olives in this salad but black olives work well too so use whatever you prefer.
- Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans – I love adding chickpeas to pasta salad for added protein and fibre. Another white bean like haricot or navy beans are a good substitute.
- Feta Cheese – adds such a nice salty tang and goes so well with the pesto. Use goat cheese or parmesan as a alternative.
Serving and Storing
I love to make a big batch of Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad to use for lunches during the week. It’s great served as is for a quick lunch and also travels well making it perfect for taking to work or school.
Try serving Pesto Orzo Salad as a side dish for meat or fish. I love it with chicken or salmon.
A batch of pesto orzo makes a great side dish for BBQs or potluck parties.
Orzo Pesto Salad will store well in the fridge for 3 days. It is best served at room temperature so idealy take out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving.
Customise Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad
- Swap the veggies – diced bell pepper or red onion work well in this salad.
- Add some spinach, arugula/rocket or lettuce for extra greens.
- Try another white bean like haricot or navy beans instead of the chickpeas.
- Stir through some shredded rotisserie chicken or crispy bacon.
More Pasta Salad Recipes:
- Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad with Chickpeas
- Chicken and Sweetcorn Pasta Salad
- Prawn Pasta Salad
- Grinder Pasta Salad
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!
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Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Pasta Pot
Ingredients
- 250 grams Orzo - 1 ⅔ cups
- 150 grams Basil Pesto - ½ cup
- 200 grams Cherry Tomatoes - 1 ⅓ cups
- 150 grams Feta Cheese - 1 cup
- 100 grams Olives - ¾ cup
- 400 grams tin Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) - 14oz
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the orzo according to packet instructions. Drain and rinse well with cold water to cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the ingredients and add to a large bowl. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes depending on size, slice the olives and cut the feta cheese into small cubes.
- Add the cooked and cooled orzo to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients then stir through the pesto until fully combined.
- Garnish with chopped fresh basil and extra crumbled feta.
Nutrition
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