Orzo Pesto Salad

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This orzo pesto salad combines creamy pesto with soft orzo pasta, salty bacon, crunchy pine nuts, and lots of fresh summer veggies for a delicious summer salad full of bursts of flavor!

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Total Time45

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 329kcal

Author: Britni Vigil

Ingredients

Pesto

4 cups fresh basil
½ cups pine nuts toasted
½ cup parmesan shredded or grated
¾ tsp salt
2 cloves garlic
2 TBSP lemon juice
½ cup olive oil

Orzo Pesto Salad

16 ounces orzo cooked and cooled
2 cups cherry tomatoes quartered
1 ½ cup cucumbers quartered
3 cups fresh arugula
½ cups pine nuts toasted
1 cup bacon cooked and chopped
1 cup feta crumbled

Instructions

Pesto

In a food processor add basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Mix on high for thirty seconds or until mixture turns into a fine paste.
4 cups fresh basil, ½ cups pine nuts, ½ cup parmesan, ¾ tsp salt, 2 cloves garlic, 2 TBSP lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil
Slowly add in oil while the processor is on low until the oil has fully emulsified.

Salad

Cook and cool the orzo according to package instructions.
Cook bacon and cut into small bite-sized pieces.
In a large serving bowl, add orzo, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, arugula, pine nuts, and bacon. Mix until everything has been fully combined.
16 ounces orzo, 2 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 ½ cup cucumbers, 3 cups fresh arugula, ½ cups pine nuts, 1 cup bacon
Add the pesto and mix gently until it has been evenly distributed on all of the ingredients.
Gently fold in the feta and serve cold.
1 cup feta

Notes

Serve fresh for best results. After it sits together for too long the tomatoes lose their crunch and the juices start to blend together.

If you are using pre-made pesto you’ll need 10 ounces to replace the homemade pesto in the recipe.

Save time and make the pesto the day before; it also allows flavors time to blend.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. After that, the bacon will get soggy, and the tomatoes will lose their juice completely.

Ingredient Notes:

Pine nuts - put them in a dry skillet then toast on medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes or until they turn golden brown, then immediately remove from the pan to stop toasting.
Garlic - the recipe calls for two cloves but if your cloves are large (thumb size or bigger), start with one clove and only add the second if you feel like you need it.
Cucumbers - 1 1/2 cups is about the size of one cucumber - it's okay if you have a little more or a little less, I just use one cucumber.
Bacon - 16 slices cooked and chopped bacon is about one cup
Feta - if you don't like feta, mozzarella pearls are good too!

Nutrition