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    Home » Lunchbox Recipes » Orzo Pasta with Tomato Basil Pesto and Olives

    Orzo Pasta with Tomato Basil Pesto and Olives

    Posted on April 18, 2018 · Last Updated on September 11, 2024 · By Srividhya G · 36 Comments

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    Orzo Pasta collage with text overlay

    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 Pasta ready and served

    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?

    Orzo Pasta served on a wooden board

    Now let me share how I made this easy peasy orzo pasta.

    Orzo Pasta with Tomato Basil Pesto and Olives Recipe

    Ingredients:

    • Orzo Pasta – ½ cup (I used whole wheat pasta)
    • Water – 2 cups
    • Salt – ½ 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 ¼ cup of pasta water and drain the rest.

    Draining water from the pasta

    • Now add the remaining olive oil, pesto, and olives. Mix it well.

    Adding olive oil, pesto and olives

    • Warm it over low heat for a couple of minutes or microwave it for one minute.

    Before serving the wheat orzo

    • That’s it. Orzo pasta is ready.

    Orzo pasta next to a lunch box

    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. Do check out my basil pesto pasta with mushrooms. 
    • 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.

    📖 Recipe

    OrzoPastaSaladRecipe
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    5 from 10 votes

    Orzo Pasta with Tomato Basil Pesto and Olives:

    Easy-peasy Orzo pasta (wheat orzo) with tomato basil pesto and olives - A delicious semi-homemade pasta recipe with minimal ingredients
    Prep Time2 minutes mins
    Cook Time18 minutes mins
    Total Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Fusion, Italian
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 205kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    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

    Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 767mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel

    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
    • Easy asian pasta salad

     

     

    Orzo Pasta collage with text overlay
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    Filed Under: International, Italian, Lunchbox Recipes Tagged With: Blogging Marathon, easy recipes, how to cook orzo pasta, kids friendly lunch box recipes, kids friendly pasta, lunch box recipes, orzo pasta, orzo pasta recipes, orzo pasta salad, orzo pasta with tomato basil pesto and olives, pastas, Pastas For Kids, recipes ideas with orzo pasta, under 30 minutes, wheat orzo pasta

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. simplytadka2 says

      June 20, 2018 at 4:36 am

      Orzo in form pasta … very interesting and unique recipe for me.. great collection

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 20, 2018 at 8:34 am

        Thanks, Preeti.

        Reply
    2. preeti garg says

      June 19, 2018 at 1:06 pm

      I never tried orzo… looks so healthy and tasty.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 19, 2018 at 9:16 pm

        Please do try. I am sure you will love it.

        Reply
    3. Padmajha PJ says

      June 19, 2018 at 9:40 am

      The pasta looks so nice, exactly like a grain of rice. I ahve never seen this around here though. And Im sure this would taste so good with the olives!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 19, 2018 at 9:31 pm

        Yes PJ. It is quite popular salad pasta.

        Reply
    4. Suma Gandlur says

      June 12, 2018 at 8:09 pm

      My daughter is helping in her school’s kitchen this summer and came a couple of days ago asking me to make a pasta salad she helped to prepare. Your pasta reminded me that and she would be happy to try it.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 13, 2018 at 8:44 am

        Please ask her to try and I am sure she will love it.

        Reply
    5. cookingwithsapana says

      May 28, 2018 at 8:56 am

      5 stars
      I have heard a lot about orzo but never tried them ever. Reading your post and recipe want me to try this healthy grain.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 28, 2018 at 5:11 pm

        Thanks, Sapana. Please do try. You will like it.

        Reply
    6. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      May 22, 2018 at 8:12 pm

      5 stars
      I have not cooked too much with orzo. I have just used it a couple of times in soup. This is a great lunch box recipe for kids and love the olives along with the tomato basil pesto.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 23, 2018 at 8:54 am

        Thanks a lot, Sandhya. :-)

        Reply
    7. Priya Srinivasan says

      May 19, 2018 at 10:39 am

      That looks fab vidhya, I always worry how the pasta would taste when packed for lunch!! Pesto and pasts sound yumm!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 20, 2018 at 12:15 am

        Thanks Priya. Yeah, same thing here. This one works great though.

        Reply
    8. manjulabharathkumar2016 says

      May 09, 2018 at 8:41 pm

      5 stars
      wow such an amazing recipe vidhya , am sure you vandhu enjoyed a lot .. The combination of olives and pesto sounds so delicious, makes me drool. You are such a smart thinker, I loved your recipe selection throughout the marathon. So perfectly cooked Orzo and such amazing flavors incorporated !! Nuruu Thumbs up from me !!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 11, 2018 at 8:40 am

        1000 + hi-fives from me. Thanks a lot, Manjula.

        Reply
    9. Srivalli Jetti says

      May 05, 2018 at 12:04 am

      I am reading about Orzo for the first will surely check again if I happen to get it here, the dish looks so nicely done!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 07, 2018 at 8:00 am

        Thanks, Valli. They use this mainly for soups and salads.

        Reply
    10. Mayuri Patel says

      May 04, 2018 at 11:56 am

      5 stars
      I’ve always wanted to use orzo pasta. They look so cute. Love the combination of olives and tomato pesto. A wholesome and filling meal.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        May 04, 2018 at 12:08 pm

        Thanks Mayuri.

        Reply
    11. kalyani says

      April 26, 2018 at 11:01 pm

      enakku indha pasta eppadi cook panna theriyile. Now thanks to ur post, I do. that pesto is surely a flavour bomb !

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 27, 2018 at 7:57 am

        Oh yeah. Thanks, Kalyani.

        Reply
    12. vaishalisabnani says

      April 20, 2018 at 6:32 am

      I haven’t seen orzo here in India but I got a pack from Japan and I still need to use it . Lovely flavours in this orzo pasta , I am loving the idea of chopped olives . Bookmarking !

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 20, 2018 at 10:46 am

        Thanks, Vaishali. :-)

        Reply
    13. Gayathri Kumar says

      April 20, 2018 at 4:34 am

      5 stars
      That is such an easy to make pasta recipe. And if kids approve then it must be absolutely yum.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 20, 2018 at 10:58 am

        Thanks, Gayathri.

        Reply
    14. Sharmila - The Happie Friends Potpourri Corner says

      April 18, 2018 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      Seeing Orzo pasta for the first time and it looks lovely!! It more reminds me of Almond flakes!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 19, 2018 at 7:52 am

        :-) Yeah the color resembles a lot. Thanks da.

        Reply
    15. Harini says

      April 18, 2018 at 6:26 pm

      5 stars
      That is a useful post, Srividhya. Would love to experiment with Orzo. My older one is just about picking up new shapes on each shopping trip and so we will definitely get there :)

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 19, 2018 at 7:54 am

        Thanks, Harini. Glad you liked it.

        Reply
    16. Pavani says

      April 18, 2018 at 6:14 pm

      5 stars
      I always keep a bottle of storebought pesto in the fridge. So convenient to make quick pasta dishes like this one. My kids love pesto pasta with spinach and corn. Will have to try your version with olives some time.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 19, 2018 at 7:55 am

        Thanks, Pavani. I have one version coming up with Spinach also.

        Reply
    17. Sandhiya says

      April 18, 2018 at 2:22 pm

      5 stars
      That’s an interesting recipe, Vidhya. Never tried this orzo pasta, will check out on grocery store next time, it’s kind of look like paddy. Pasta with tomato basil pesto sounds flavorful and delicious!!!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 18, 2018 at 3:36 pm

        Plz try ma… It is great for salads and soup.

        Reply
    18. Priya Suresh says

      April 18, 2018 at 1:40 pm

      Simply love the addition of olives here and that tomato basil pesto is a real torture. This pasta dish rocks Vidhya, am sure kids will definitely enjoy this incredible dish thoroughly.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 18, 2018 at 3:35 pm

        :-) Thanks

        Reply
    5 from 10 votes (1 rating without comment)

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