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 – 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.
- 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. 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
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
- Easy asian pasta salad
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 87.
Orzo in form pasta … very interesting and unique recipe for me.. great collection
Thanks, Preeti.
I never tried orzo… looks so healthy and tasty.
Please do try. I am sure you will love it.
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!
Yes PJ. It is quite popular salad pasta.
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.
Please ask her to try and I am sure she will love it.
I have heard a lot about orzo but never tried them ever. Reading your post and recipe want me to try this healthy grain.
Thanks, Sapana. Please do try. You will like it.
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.
Thanks a lot, Sandhya. :-)
That looks fab vidhya, I always worry how the pasta would taste when packed for lunch!! Pesto and pasts sound yumm!
Thanks Priya. Yeah, same thing here. This one works great though.
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 !!
1000 + hi-fives from me. Thanks a lot, Manjula.
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!
Thanks, Valli. They use this mainly for soups and salads.
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.
Thanks Mayuri.
enakku indha pasta eppadi cook panna theriyile. Now thanks to ur post, I do. that pesto is surely a flavour bomb !
Oh yeah. Thanks, Kalyani.
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 !
Thanks, Vaishali. :-)
That is such an easy to make pasta recipe. And if kids approve then it must be absolutely yum.
Thanks, Gayathri.
Seeing Orzo pasta for the first time and it looks lovely!! It more reminds me of Almond flakes!!
:-) Yeah the color resembles a lot. Thanks da.
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 :)
Thanks, Harini. Glad you liked it.
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.
Thanks, Pavani. I have one version coming up with Spinach also.
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!!!
Plz try ma… It is great for salads and soup.
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.
:-) Thanks