This Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad is an easy and delicious lunch or side dish for your next cookout! It is packed with artichokes, cherry tomatoes, and chickpeas and is tossed with pesto, which adds tons of flavor. And it only requires 30 minutes to make it!
Side dishes are my favorite part of a cookout, so I have quite a few recipes to choose from here on Earthly Provisions. I have pasta salads, such as my Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad, and potato salads, like my Potato Green Bean Salad. And I even have bean salad recipes like my Tuscan Bean Salad!
And today, I'm adding another pasta salad recipe to the list with this Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad! This recipe is so easy to make and is packed with flavor from pesto, scallions, artichoke hearts and tomatoes. It's the perfect side dish to make for your next cookout or as meal prep for work lunches. So, let's make it!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe uses basic, easy-to-find ingredients.
- And it is ready in under 30 minutes!
- This Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad is completely vegan and dairy-free, so anyone can enjoy it.
- It is packed with Italian flavors like artichoke hearts, tomatoes and basil pesto.
- And most importantly, it's absolutely delicious!
Ingredients
Orzo: Orzo is rice-shaped pasta. It is my favorite for making pasta salad because you can get a little of everything in each bite.
Canned or Jarred Artichoke Hearts: I used canned artichoke hearts, but you can use jarred or even marinated artichoke hearts if you prefer.
Pesto: I used store-bought pesto to make this recipe quick and easy. And if you are vegan or dairy-free, I recommend this Filippo Berrio Pesto.
Scallions: I use scallions instead of regular onions in my pasta salad recipes because they are a little milder. But you can use ½ cup thinly sliced red onion or yellow if you prefer.
Chickpeas: I prefer chickpeas, but you can also use navy beans or cannellini beans, too.
Variations
This Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad would be delicious with a half cup of roughly chopped green or kalamata olives tossed into it.
You can also use homemade pesto for this recipe!
Instructions
Step 1. Add orzo, chopped artichoke hearts, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced scallions, chickpeas, feta cheese, and pesto in a large bowl.
Step 2. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss well to combine.
And that's it!
Recipe FAQs
Transfer the salad to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Yes! Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water until it is no longer hot.
Orzo is rice-shaped pasta!
Expert Recipe Tips
I don't recommend using no-salt-added chickpeas for this recipe! Lower sodium is fine, but the salt-free chickpeas stay flavorless.
Looking for More Side Dish Recipes?
If you tried this Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
📖 Recipe
Orzo Pesto Pasta Salad
Equipment
- 1 2-3 Quart Pot
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Chefs Knife
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 8 oz Orzo
- 15 oz Can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 14 oz Can of Artichoke Hearts, drained and rinsed, roughly chopped see note
- 1 ½ Cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 4 Large Scallions, thinly sliced
- ½ Cup Feta Cheese see note
- ⅓ Cup Pesto
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the orzo in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain the pasta, the run it under cold water until it is no longer hot. It's okay if it's warm!8 oz Orzo
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked orzo, chickpeas, chopped artichoke hearts, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced scallions and feta cheese.15 oz Can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 14 oz Can of Artichoke Hearts, drained and rinsed, roughly chopped, 1 ½ Cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved, 4 Large Scallions, thinly sliced, ½ Cup Feta Cheese
- Then, add pesto, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Toss well to coat everything evenly in the pesto.⅓ Cup Pesto, 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice, Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- Serve.
Comments
No Comments