Loaded with summery heirloom tomatoes and a flavorful pesto vinaigrette, this heirloom tomato orzo salad comes together in a snap and is loaded with fresh ingredients!
Salads like this beauty are what summer garden season is all about! Meet your permanent lunch salad for the foreseeable future.
Heirloom tomatoes are so good right now so naturally, I’m putting them in literally everything but especially in all my salads. This orzo salad isn’t fancy but it just ticks every single summer salad box.
Plus, pesto vinaigrette, need I say more??
You won’t need more than a few minutes and a handful of ingredients to pull off this orzo salad and the best part is that it’s SO adaptable to what you have on hand.
The only requirement is that you taste test this gem straight from the bowl and inevitably make a meal out of it.
This Orzo Salad features…
- Juicy sweet heirloom tomatoes
- Tender orzo pasta and crisp cucumber
- Fresh mozzarella and herby basil
- Flavorful basil pesto vinaigrette
Making the Orzo Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Basil pesto
- White wine vinegar
- Honey
- Olive oil
- Orzo
- Heirloom tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Red onion
- Fresh mozzarella
- Basil
Choosing Your Pesto
This recipe works great with both jarred and homemade pesto. Using jarred definitely speeds prep along, but if you want a great homemade option, this spinach basil pesto is always my go-to.
Tips for Perfect Orzo Salad
- Boil orzo in salted water – this will add lots of flavor to the orzo.
- Rinse orzo in cold water – this cools the orzo quickly and stops the cooking process.
- Cut vegetables in uniform cubes – this will make the salad easy to eat.
- Allow salad to chill before serving – if possible, allow the salad to chill in refrigerator a few hours before serving so the ingredients soak up the flavors from the dressing.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this salad.
- Use different tomatoes – any kind of tomato works great in place of the heirlooms in this salad! Try cherry tomatoes, grape, romas, on-the-vine, etc.
- Add fruit – try adding a handful of chopped fresh peaches, strawberries, or blackberries.
- Use a pre-made dressing – try Italian dressing, Greek, or balsamic. You will need about 1/2 cup dressing total.
- Swap out orzo for regular pasta – use a short cut of pasta such as penne, elbow, or spiral in place of the orzo.
- Try a different cheese – try cubed cheddar, gouda, or grated Parmesan.
Storing Salad
This orzo salad is one of those salads that tastes even better after its sat in the fridge for a day or two and all the ingredients have soaked up all that wonderful dressing. Store salad for up to 6 days in fridge, but definitely don’t expect it to last that long!
You just can’t go wrong adding this orzo salad to your summer salad lineup! The fresh, herby flavors from the pesto vinaigrette are absolutely king with the sweet heirlooms, crisp cucumbers, rich mozz, and all that tender orzo.
Diving face-first into this beautiful mess in 3..2..1..
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Watch this salad made step-by-step on Google web stories.
Try these other summery pasta salads next!
Heirloom Tomato Orzo Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
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Ingredients
Pesto Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Heirloom Tomato Orzo Salad
- 8 oz dry orzo
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 small cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella pearls
- 1/2 cup lightly-packed fresh basil leaves, minced
Instructions
Pesto Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, whisk together pesto, vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Heirloom Tomato Orzo Salad
- Cook orzo in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain orzo, rinse in cold water to cool, drain well, and place in a large bowl.
- Add tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, mozzarella, basil, and dressing to orzo and toss well until evenly coated. Season salad with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
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