Easy-peasy Orzo Pasta (Wheat Orzo) recipe with tomato basil pesto and olives – a delicious semi-homemade pasta with minimal ingredients. You can make it really quickly and with different condiments!
Orzo is rice-shaped pasta (looks more like a giant grain of rice) and it also is known as risoni. You can find a lot of soup and salad recipes with orzo pasta on the internet. But I decided to use it for our main course itself. It comparatively cooks faster than other pasta, and also the sky is the limit for your creativity with this pasta. You can prepare a zillion pasta recipes with this.
I always stock my fridge with the store bought pesto or tomato basil pesto or with marinara. I know its all easy to make at home, but with Rhino at home, I kept missing preparing all these during the weekend. Also, having something handy helps a lot. Our favorite combination is mixing this orzo pasta with olives and tomato basil pesto.
Purple olives work better for this dish, and I usually buy whole olives and chop them. This time unknowingly picked these finely chopped olives, and I did not want to waste them, so ended up using it. But you can use roughly chopped ones, and that adds a nice crunch to the recipe as well.
Vaandu likes only this combination, i.e., just with olive and tomato basil pesto. I pack this mostly for his lunch. But you can make Mediterranean salad with this pasta – add some cucumbers, feta, green olives or add any flavored mayo and veggies and make a cold salad as well. Didn’t I say, the sky is the limit?
Now let me share how I made this easy peasy orzo pasta.
Orzo Pasta with Tomato Basil Pesto and Olives Recipe
Ingredients:
- Orzo Pasta – 1/2 cup (I used whole wheat pasta)
- Water – 2 cups
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Tomato Basil Pesto – 2 tsp
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 2 tsp
- Chopped Olives – 2 tbsp
Steps:
- Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Add the salt and one tsp of olive oil.
- Add the pasta and cook according to the timing instruction mentioned in the package.
- I cooked it for 5 minutes.
- Save 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
- Now add the remaining olive oil, pesto, and olives. Mix it well.
- Warm it over low heat for a couple of minutes or microwave it for one minute.
- That’s it. Orzo pasta is ready.
Notes:
- Do not overcook the pasta. Make sure it is aldente.
- I used whole wheat orzo; you can use any variety.
- Instead of tomato-basil pesto, you can add plain basil pesto and chunks of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes or play with your favorite condiments.
- After adding the sauce, no need to cook again as the pasta might break. So just cook the pasta with the sauce for a couple of minutes over low heat or microwave it.
Orzo Pasta with Tomato Basil Pesto and Olives:
Ingredients
- ½ cup Orzo Pasta I used whole wheat pasta
- 2 cups Water
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsps Tomato Basil Pesto
- 2 tsps Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsps Chopped Olives
Instructions
- Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Add the salt and one tsp of olive oil.
- Add the pasta and cook according to the timing instruction mentioned in the package.
- I cooked it for 5 minutes.
- Save ¼ cup of pasta water and drain the rest.
- Now add the remaining olive oil, pesto, and olives. Mix it well.
- Warm it over low heat for a couple of minutes or microwave it for one minute.
- That's it. Orzo pasta is ready.
Notes
- Do not overcook the pasta. Make sure it is aldente.
- I used whole wheat orzo; you can use any variety.
- Instead of tomato-basil pesto, you can add plain basil pesto and chunks of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes or play with your favorite condiments.
- After adding the sauce, no need to cook again as the pasta might break. So just cook the pasta with the sauce for a couple of minutes over low heat or microwave it.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
P.S. Follow my Pinterest boards for more healthy and delicious recipes.
You will love these, too:
- Oven Roasted Rosemary Potatoes | Thanksgiving Sides
- Baked Jicama Fries
- Instant Pot Spinach Pesto Pasta | Vegan Pesto Pasta
- Pesto Pizza
- Cilantro Pesto Pasta | Cilantro Pesto with Almonds
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87.
