Shrimp Orzo Salad With Pesto
Orzo salad is loaded with Juicy shrimp, cherry tomatoes, onion, and everything is tossed in fresh basil pesto. This refreshing salad can be served as a main dish or as a side dish during summer Barbeque.
Orzo salad with grilled shrimps, tomatoes, arugula, and pesto is like summer on the plate. This salad is so good, yet quite effortless to make, and is bursting with fresh flavors. Use juicy seasonal cherry tomatoes, make a batch of fresh basil pesto or bottled one that will also work, and a generous topping of parmesan while serving. A perfect salad to make for a large gathering or any of your summer barbecues.
This tiny Orzo pasta resembles so much risotto but takes half the time to cook. It soaks up any flavor that you add it to. This salad can be served at room temperature or even cold.
Interested to cook with Orzo? Look at some of my other recipes – Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, One Pot Tomato Basil Chicken Orzo, and Italian Sausage & Orzo Soup or Orzo Salad with crispy prosciutto.
Ingredients For Shrimp Orzo Salad
- Shrimp – Fresh or frozen, both will work. I prefer using small to medium ones, as they distribute well in the salad. If using large shrimps, then once cooked, cut them into 2-3 pieces.
- Orzo – Orzo also known as ‘risoni’. You cook orzo just like pasta, until it’s al dente.
- Arugula – I love to add some green in salads, and peppery arugula works well with the rest of the flavours here. Baby spinach is another alternative you can use.
- Cheery Tomatoes- Summer seasonal juicy tomatoes for a pop of sweetness. Cut into halves.
- Basil Pesto – While I would recommend making a fresh batch of pesto for a fresh zesty flavor, you can also use a bottled one.
- Seasoning– Garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to season the shrimp.
- Parmesan – Fresh parmesan shavings to garnish.
Making Pesto Shrimp Orzo Salad
Tips and Variations to Make Pesto Shrimp Orzo Pasta Salad
- Start with cooking Orzo in well-salted water. Drain and let it cool down.
- Try not to overcook the shrimp 2-3 minutes on one side and 2-minutes on the other side.
- Make sure when you add pesto to the salad, the Orzo and shrimp have cooled down a little bit. If you add veggies and pesto to very hot Pasta, you won’t get the vibrant green color.
- You can also add chopped red bell peppers, red onion, or bocconcini bites to it.
Make Shrimp Orzo Salad in advance/ Storing leftovers
This orzo salad can be made a day or two in advance, especially if you are making a big batch of it. Toss all the ingredients(except arugula) with the required amount of pesto and tightly cover with cling wrap and refrigerate. While serving, toss arugula and top it with more fresh pesto, if desired, and a fresh shaving of Parmesan. Adding arugula before serving, so that it doesn’t wilt
Leftovers
Serve With
This Shrimp orzo salad is a meal by itself. It has protein and carbs from the shrimp and orzo.
More Summer Salad Recipes…
Shrimp Orzo Salad with Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup Dry Orzo
- 1 pound Medium Shrimp Cleaned and deveined
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- 10 oz Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 cups Arugula
- â…“ – ½ cup Fresh Pesto
- Parmesan to garnish
Shrimp Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Cook Orzo pasta as per package instructions. (Make sure to add enough salt to the water while cooking) . Darin and let it cool down completely.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add shrimp to the pan, season with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Cut cherry tomatoes to half.
- In a large mixing bowl, add orzo, arugula, halved tomatoes, and shrimp. Add 3-4 tablespoons of pesto. Toss everything well.
- Serve with more pesto and parmesan shavings on top.
Delicious and simple!
Simple yet delicious! I used Argentian Shrimp, which taste like lobster. I used homemade pesto (Moosewood has an awesome pesto recipe). Delicious!