{"id":253,"date":"2025-06-09T15:33:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/?p=253"},"modified":"2025-06-09T15:33:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T15:33:59","slug":"caprese-orzo-pasta-salad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/2025\/06\/09\/caprese-orzo-pasta-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I love pasta salads in the summer for two reasons they can be prepped ahead, and they&#8217;re an easy dish to serve at a BBQ or cook-out. I like to stick to a vinaigrette based pasta salad recipe rather than a mayo based one as I find it holds up better when sitting out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Orzo Pasta<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; feel free to use your favorite pasta shape in this recipe. Fusilli, cavatappi, farfalle, casarecce, orecchiette or ditalini would all work well.<\/li><li><strong>Cherry Tomatoes<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; grape tomatoes or sun gold tomatoes can be used as a substitute.<\/li><li><strong>Fresh Mozzarella Pearls<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; ciliegine or diced bocconcini&nbsp;mozzarella balls work well too.<\/li><li><strong>Herbs<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; I like to use a combination of fresh basil, parsley, and chives<\/li><li><strong>Olive Oil<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; for the vinaigrette.<\/li><li><strong>Balsamic Vinegar<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; I prefer to use balsamic vinegar but champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar would also work.<\/li><li><strong>Garlic Cloves<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; freshly minced garlic adds another depth of flavor to this Orzo Pasta Salad.<\/li><li><strong>Salt and Pepper<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8211; goes without saying.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"how-to-make-orzo-pasta-salad\">How to Make Orzo Pasta Salad<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/whatsgabycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CapreseOrzoPasta_1.jpg\" alt=\"Cooked orzo in a strainer in a pot.\" class=\"wp-image-74238\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 1:<\/strong>&nbsp;Start by cooking the orzo until al dente.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/whatsgabycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CapreseOrzoPasta_2.jpg\" alt=\"Balsamic dressing in a large white mixing bowl\" class=\"wp-image-74239\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 2:<\/strong>&nbsp;Meanwhile make the balsamic dressing at the bottom of a large bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/whatsgabycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CapreseOrzoPasta_3.jpg\" alt=\"cooked orzo mixed into the balsamic dressing in a large white mixing bowl.\" class=\"wp-image-74240\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 3:<\/strong>&nbsp;And the cooked orzo pasta to the bowl and mix to evenly dress the pasta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/whatsgabycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CapreseOrzoPasta_4.jpg\" alt=\"Parchment lined sheet pan with roasted tomatoes topped with herbs.\" class=\"wp-image-74241\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 4:<\/strong>&nbsp;Then roast the halved tomatoes. Remove once they turn jammy, and sprinkle them with flaky salt, pepper, and the herbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/whatsgabycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CapreseOrzoPasta_5.jpg\" alt=\"Large white mixing bowl with orzo topped with lots of fresh cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and basil.\" class=\"wp-image-74242\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/bookmarklet\/?is_video=false&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwhatsgabycooking.com%2Fcaprese-orzo-pasta-salad%2F&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwhatsgabycooking.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2022%2F09%2FCapreseOrzoPasta_5.jpg&amp;description=Large%20white%20mixing%20bowl%20with%20orzo%20topped%20with%20lots%20of%20fresh%20cherry%20tomatoes%2C%20mozzarella%20pearls%20and%20basil.\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 5:<\/strong>&nbsp;Add the roasted and fresh cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil leaves to the bowl with pasta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/whatsgabycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/CapreseOrzoPasta_6.jpg\" alt=\"Large white mixing bowl with caprese orzo salad.\" class=\"wp-image-74243\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Step 6:<\/strong>&nbsp;And toss until combined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>Ingredients&nbsp;&nbsp;1x2x3x<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u25a28&nbsp;ounces&nbsp;orzo pasta<\/li><li>\u25a22&nbsp;pints&nbsp;cherry tomatoes&nbsp;halved and divided<\/li><li>\u25a28&nbsp;ounces&nbsp;fresh mozzarella pearls<\/li><li>\u25a2\u00bd&nbsp;cup&nbsp;fresh basil leaves&nbsp;torn<\/li><li>\u25a22&nbsp;tablespoons&nbsp;parsley&nbsp;freshly minced<\/li><li>\u25a22&nbsp;tablespoons&nbsp;chives&nbsp;freshly minced<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4>For the Balsamic Vinaigrette<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u25a2\u2153&nbsp;cup&nbsp;olive oil<\/li><li>\u25a23&nbsp;tablespoons&nbsp;balsamic vinegar<\/li><li>\u25a22&nbsp;cloves&nbsp;garlic&nbsp;minced<\/li><li>\u25a2Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper&nbsp;to taste<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>Instructions&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Cook the orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain the orzo and let it cool slightly.<\/li><li>Prep the dressing. Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together until well mixed.<\/li><li>Transfer the orzo pasta to the bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to dress.<\/li><li>Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and transfer 1 pint of the halved tomatoes onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool. Then sprinkle with flaky salt, pepper and the herbs.<\/li><li>Add both roasted and raw tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and basil leaves to the pasta bowl and toss until combined. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3>Notes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days.<\/li><li>You can serve this at any temperature, warm or cold!<\/li><li>Feel free to use your favorite pasta shape in this recipe. Fusilli, cavatappi, farfalle, casarecce, orecchiette or ditalini would all work well.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-summary\">\nI love pasta salads in the summer for two reasons they can&hellip;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/2025\/06\/09\/caprese-orzo-pasta-salad\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &ldquo;Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad&rdquo;<\/span>&hellip;<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=253"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":255,"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/253\/revisions\/255"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rlhays.com\/recipes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}