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 shrimps, tomatoes, onion, and pesto is like summer on the plate. Bursting with fresh flavors, this salad is so good, yet quite effortless to make. Use juicy seasonal cherry tomatoes, make a batch of fresh basil pesto or bottled one 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 barbeque.
This tiny Orzo pasta resembles so much with 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.
Tips and Variations to make Pesto Shrimp Orzo Pasta Salad
- Start with cooking Orzo in well-seasoned water until done. Darin and let it cool down.
- While I would recommend making a fresh batch of pesto for a zesty flavour, you can also use a bottled one.
- I cooked the shrimp just with salt and pepper so that when tossed in pesto, the taste of pesto shines through it.
- Cut cherry tomatoes in half and chop onions.
- Make sure when you add pesto to the salad the Orzo and Shrimps have cooled down a little bit. If you add veggies and pesto to very hot Pasta, then they lose the freshness.
- You can also add chopped red bell peppers, mozzarella bites to it.
Make Orzo Salad in advance...
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 with the required amount of pesto and tightly cover with cling wrap and refrigerate. While serving you can top it with more fresh pesto if you want and fresh shaving of Parmesan.
More Summer Salad Recipes...
CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD
ASIAN CUCUMBER SALAD
FRESH ROASTED CORN SALAD
Shrimp Orzo Salad with Pesto
Ingredients
- 250 grams Orzo pasta
- 250 grams Shrimp Cleaned and deveined
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 200 grams Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 medium Onion
- ½ cup Fresh Pesto
- Parmesan to garnish
Instructions
- Cook Orzo pasta as per package instruction.(Make sure to add enough salt to the water while cooking) . Darin and let it cool down a bit.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add shrimp to the pan, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes. It will turn pink.
- Cut cherry tomato to half. Chop Onion.
- In a big salad mixing bowl, add orzo. halved tomatoes, Chopped onions, shrimp. Add 3-4 tablespoon of pesto. Toss everything well.
- Serve with more pesto and parmesan shavings on top.
Jessie Georges says
Simple yet delicious! I used Argentian Shrimp, which taste like lobster. I used homemade pesto (Moosewood has an awesome pesto recipe). Delicious!