Orzo Pesto Salad

Orzo salad made with pesto, spinach, tomatoes, and olives. Delicious either hot or cold and makes great meal prep lunches!

Course pasta salad, Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword orzo pasta salad, orzo pesto salad, orzo spinach salad, vegan pesto salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 18

Servings

Calories 169kcal

Boil orzo pasta in salted water according to package directions.
Make homemade pesto (if not using store-bought) by adding 2 cups basil, 2 cloves garlic 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/3 cup nutritional yeast 2 tablespoons pine nuts (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice to a food processor and blending until creamy.
Cut 2 cups of cherry tomatoes in half and set aside. Drain a can of black olives and cut them in halves or into rings and set them aside.
Fill a large salad bowl with baby spinach. Drain and rinse cooked orzo and immediately add it to the bowl of baby spinach allowing it to wilt the spinach.
Top the orzo pasta with 1 cup of pesto and mix well with the orzo and spinach.
Add cherry tomatoes, olives, salt, and red pepper flakes and toss again until everything is covered in pesto and the spinach has wilted slightly.
Serve warm or refrigerate and serve it cold later.

I normally like to cook pasta al dente, but with this orzo salad, I like the pasta to be fully cooked so that it doesn't dry out. If the orzo is still firm after the recommended cooking time, I cook it for another minute or two.
This pasta is also delicious when served with feta sprinkled on top. I like to use my homemade tofu feta for this.
Toasted pine nuts are also a great addition to this orzo salad.
If using store-bought pesto and it doesn't contain lemon juice or citric acid, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to the salad to keep the beautiful bright green color of the pesto and stop it from turning brown as it oxidizes.
Use my nut-free vegan pesto for a nut-free salad.