Pesto Orzo Pasta Salad for a weeknight

Thispesto orzo pasta salad recipe is simple to make in under 30 minutes. It's a light, refreshing, tasty summer meal!

While this pesto orzo salad recipe is a tasty side salad any time of year, we especially love serving it during the spring and summer months.

With fresh vegetables and basil pesto, this light, refreshing salad is balanced with chickpeas and orzo pasta. Making it a truly satisfying side dish.

It's perfect to serve at your next summer BBQ, potluck, or picnic. And because it's an simple make-ahead recipe, it's a great addition to any busy weeknight dinner, too!

🌟 Why this recipe works

You are gonna LOVE this summery side dish!

Simple– The steps to make this side salad are simple. We've included step-by-step photos below to help you out.
Balanced – the bright tomatoes and cucumbers are balanced with the richer chickpeas, orzo, and fresh mozzarella cheese.
Make-Ahead – You can make this side dish 30 minutes ahead of time or up to overnight!
Flavorful – the fresh basil pesto adds so much flavor to this already tasty dish!

🛒 Ingredient notes

This simple orzo pesto salad is made with simple ingredients:

Orzo – You can find boxes of orzo pasta in the pasta aisle of most local grocery stores.
Olive oil – Use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
Pine nuts – While you can use pine nuts as is, toasting pine nuts enriches their rich, nutty flavor.
Spinach – Use fresh spinach leaves.
Basil – Use fresh basil leave
Lemon juice – This adds a nice acidity and brightness to the dish.
Garlic – You can add an extra clove of garlic than what the recipe calls for if you love garlic like we do!
Tomatoes – Use halved cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. You can also dice up Roma tomatoes or other large tomatoes if that is what you have on hand.
Mozzarella balls – You can find small mozzarella balls (sometimes labeled as mozzarella pearls) in the dairy or deli aisle of your grocery store.
Chickpeas – Use canned chickpeas for added protein.
Salt and pepper – Season the salad with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste.

✅ Step-by-step instructions

You'll find the full list of ingredients and more detailed instructions for this simple orzo pesto salad in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are step-by-step instructions to help you along the way.

Boil water and cook orzo pasta according to package instructions.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, toast the pine nuts over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, simply until lightly toasted. Remove from heat. Set aside 1/4 of the pine nuts for garnish.

3. Add the remaining pine nuts, basil leaves, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until well blended.

4. In a large serving bowl, add the cooked orzo.
5. Mix the spinach leaves in with the orzo.
6. Top with the fresh pesto and mix together.

7. Then add the cucumbers, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and chickpeas.
8. Toss together and sprinkle sliced basil and remaining pine nuts. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to overnight.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

Is this a cold or hot salad?

This is typically enjoyed as a cold pasta salad. However, you can enjoy this soon after it's assembled as a warm pasta salad.

Can We use store-bought pesto?

Absolutely! You can use storebought pesto, the homemade pesto in this recipe, or use one of our fresh pesto recipes: spinach pesto, avocado pesto, or almond basil pesto.

What's the best way to store leftovers?

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

🍽 Serving ideas

This caprese orzo salad is tasty with almost any main dish!

We love serving it with grilled bratwurst, Pressure-cooker chicken drumsticks, and chicken bruschetta.

🍷 🥂 Wine pairings

This orzo pesto pasta salad would be tasty paired with a crisp white wine. Opt for a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.

🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment

Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:

Large skillet
Large pot for pasta
Fine mesh sieve or strainer
Wooden spoon

More pasta recipes

Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you truly loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!

Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad

By Marlynn Schotland Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Total Time: 25 mins Servings: 8 This is a tasty side dish for any picnic, barbecue, or dinner.

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked orzo
¼ cup pine nuts, divided
1 can (15-ounce) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Pesto

2 cups basil, stems removed
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup olive oil, plus more as needed

Salad

2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
1½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
2 English cucumbers, diced
8 ounces mozzarella balls, sliced in half
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil, for serving

Instructions

Boil water and cook orzo according to package directions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cool water, and set aside.
In a medium saucepan or skillet, toast the pinenuts for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, simply until the outsides are lightly toasted. Remove from the heat and pour pine nuts into a bowl; set aside 1 Tablespoon of pine nuts for the topping.
Return the skillet to the stove and add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chickpeas and sauté for 1-2 minutes, simply to lightly cook them. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Make Pesto

In a food processor, add the basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until ingredients are well blended, and then slowly pour in the olive oil and continue pulsing into a thick sauce. You may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl in between pulses to incorporate all of the ingredients.

Assemble to salad

In a large bowl, add the rinsed, drained, and cooled cooked orzo.
Add the spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, mozzarella balls, sautéed chickpeas, and pesto. Toss together to coat the ingredients.
Sprinkle pine nuts over the top. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to overnight, until you are ready to serve. Top with the sliced basil simply before serving

Notes

Makes approximately 8-10 side dish salad servings Storage: store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 309 kcal, Carbohydrates: 19 g, Protein: 9 g, Fat: 23 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11 g, Cholesterol: 10 mg, Sodium: 178 mg, Potassium: 303 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 3 g, Vitamin A: 1237 IU, Vitamin C: 12 mg, Calcium: 141 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.