This pesto orzo salad is packed with healthy ingredients, has so much flavor and comes together in less than 20 minutes! Enjoy as a side salad with BBQ food, or for summer picnics or holiday celebrations.
Try my artichoke pesto pasta or my chicken salad without mayonnaise for another tasty lunch or dinner idea!
Whether it's for a summer BBQ, picnic or potluck, or a holiday celebration, this vegan pesto orzo salad (also known as pesto risoni salad!) is a perfect side salad to enjoy! Quick and easy to make, it has all the delicious herby flavor of pesto combined with fresh fruits and vegetables. Kid and adult friendly too!
Love an easy side salad? Then I think you will want to see my roasted vegetable pasta salad and my mango cucumber salad too!
And if orzo is your favorite, have a peek at my vegetable orzo soup for a cozy lunch!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Full of tasty pesto flavor! Pesto is an easy and very tasty way to add so much flavor, and that includes to a pasta salad.
Fresh fruits and veggies. We use light and crisp apple, cucumber and radish to make this orzo salad a little lighter than typical pasta salads.
Quick and easy pasta salad. It takes around 20 minutes to come together, and with fridge and pantry staples.
🥬 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Orzo pasta (also known as risoni) - the small pasta (known as pastina) that resembles a large grain of rice. If you are gluten free, there is quinoa orzo pasta as a swap for regular wheat pasta.
- Pesto - you can use a favorite pesto recipe, or there is a recipe set out in the recipe card below.
- Apple - use fresh unblemished produce for the best flavor. Red apples will give a sweeter flavor, while green apple has a more tart taste if that's what you like!
📖 Swaps and variations
Swap orzo pasta for another small pasta. Pasta types such as macaroni, ditalini or fusilli pasta are all options. And I talk about even more in my easy orzo substitutes post!
Use pesto of your choice. For a vegan and nut free option you may like to see my dairy-free pumpkin seed pesto and for a different flavor, my lemon balm pesto is so tasty! And have a peek at my substitutes for pine nuts in pesto post for more ideas to make your own!
Add a squeeze of lemon juice. If citrus works for you, a squeeze will give a nice zing to your salad!
💭 Ideas for add-ins and toppings
Give your basil pesto orzo pasta salad even more flavor with these ideas:
- Add a sprinkle of pine nuts, unsalted pistachios or pumpkin seeds for extra crunch.
- Stir in a fresh cheese such as mozzarella balls or goat cheese.
- Make it more of a main dish by adding fresh chicken or turkey.
- Use (or swap in) other vegetables such as tomatoes or avocado if they work for you, or grated carrot or celery.
- Add even more basil leaves or other herbs such as cilantro, parsley or lemon balm.
🔪 Step by step instructions
It's very easy to make this orzo pesto salad, with just a few steps:
Step 1
Make the pesto. If you are making your own pesto sauce (image 1), combine the ingredients in a blender or use a pestle and mortar. Blend, then adjust to taste with more basil or extra virgin olive oil to preference.
Step 2
Cook the orzo. Follow packet instructions to cook your orzo pasta, adding a pinch of salt to the pan (image 2). Rinse in cold water in a fine mesh sieve to cool.
Step 3
Make your pesto pasta salad. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl (image 3) and stir well so the pesto coats all the orzo and other ingredients. Season with salt and black pepper, and garnish with a few basil leaves.
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Use a fork to separate the orzo pasta if required. A touch of olive oil also helps separate the 'grains'.
- Any pesto can be used, with the suggested recipe being suitable for a vegan and low histamine diet (if pine nuts are tolerated - swap for pumpkin seeds if not).
- Dice the fruit and vegetables into fairly small pieces to go along with the orzo.
- Adjust the amount of pesto used to taste preference.
- Swap orzo for other small pasta if you prefer, such as macaroni.
📋 Frequently asked questions
Yes, simply use a vegan pesto such as my pumpkin seed pesto or my macadamia nut pesto which are both made without dairy.
I suggest rinsing in cold water to stop the cooking process, give it a stir-through with a fork and adding a tiny drizzle of olive oil to help separate the 'grains' of pasta.
Nope! If you have a favorite pesto from the store that's good too!
I don't recommend it as we are using fresh and light fruits and vegetables that don't lend themselves well to cooking. See my ricotta pesto pasta or my coriander pesto pasta for hot dinner options made with pesto!
🥗 More tasty salads
Enjoy tasty salads for BBQs, potlucks or as sides for an evening meal, including my popular cucumber beet salad and my refreshing pak choi salad. Some recent salads to try out:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love to hear from you - so please do leave a ⭐ star rating ⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Pesto Orzo Salad
Ingredients
- 8 oz orzo pasta
- 2-3 tablespoon pesto
- ½ shallot finely diced
- 4 radishes sliced
- ⅓ English cucumber sliced
- 1 small apple cored, diced
- handful arugula
To garnish
- basil leaves
Suggested pesto recipe
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 cup basil leaves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the orzo pasta according to packet instructions, adding a pinch of water to the pan. Drain in a fine mesh sieve and rinse with cold water.
- If you are making your own pesto, you can do so while the pasta is cooking. Combine the ingredients in a blender (or use a pestle and mortar), and blend to a thick pesto. Adjust with more olive oil or apple cider vinegar to taste.
- Dice the fruit and vegetables into small pieces.
- Combine orzo pasta, sliced fruit and vegetables and pesto in a bowl. Stir to combine so all the pasta is coated in the pesto. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Notes
- Use a fork to separate the orzo pasta if required. A touch of olive oil also helps separate the 'grains'.
- Any pesto can be used, with the suggested recipe being suitable for a vegan and low histamine diet (if pine nuts are tolerated - swap for pumpkin seeds if not).
- Dice the fruit and vegetables into fairly small pieces to go along with the orzo.
- Adjust the amount of pesto used to taste preference.
- Swap orzo for other small pasta if you prefer, such as macaroni.
- If citrus works for you, add a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Please note that nutritional information is an estimate, and auto-generated.
- orzo (wheat), which scores 1 and has a ? as a liberator.
- pine nuts, shallot and arugula aren't rated.
- garlic and apple cider vinegar, which score 1.
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