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The Easiest One Pan Caprese Pesto Orzo Bake. Trust me, this is going to become your new go-to for busy nights. Roasted tomatoes with garlic, shallots, and olive oil, all tossed together with dry orzo pasta, basil pesto, then finished with melty mozzarella cheese. This incredible dish is all made in one pan without even having to boil any water. Just mix, bake, eat, and enjoy!
I know this is a recipe post, but for long-time readers, I just have to quickly say how incredible the last few days have been. Your support for me is just so sweet and incredible to feel. I feel so very loved by you all and I just want to say thank you, thank you!
For everyone who has already received the book, what’s your favorite recipe so far?!
Going to chat more about all this fun stuff on Sunday, but I just had to say thank you!
Ok, ok, back to today’s recipe. This is the easiest recipe and certainly my favorite of the week!!
I honestly have no idea how I thought to put this one together, but it’s pretty perfect. The flavors are nothing new by any means, but the cooking method is super smart. And the end product is so very delicious.
A lot of times one-pan pasta dishes aren’t cooked properly. But because we’re using orzo, which is such a small pasta, it cooks up really well!!
Here are the simple, simple steps
Start out by roasting the tomatoes, just to get them cooking before we add the pasta. I added some garlic, shallots, and chili flakes to bump up the flavor a bit.
When the tomatoes start sizzling, pull them out and add the DRY orzo pasta, a jar of basil pesto, and some peperoncinis. The peperoncinis are not traditional for Caprese, but I’m obsessed with them and they add a lot of flavor to the dish.
The next key ingredient…water.
So simple, and yes, technically not an ingredient. But the water cooks the pasta just as if we had boiled it on the stove. Once the water is in, bake another 10 minutes or so. Allowing the water to cook into the pasta, then stir, and sprinkle over the cheese. Now finish baking!
Finish it up and eat
When the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted, pull the pan out. If there’s a lot of oil on top from the jar of pesto, just drain that off and save it for dipping with bread (YUMMM).
Top with plenty of fresh basil and that’s literally it. SO SIMPLE, SO DELICIOUS! And I love that there’s basically no prep or extra dishes.
Simple but delicious really is the key!
Looking for other easy pasta bakes? Here are my favorites:
One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake
Lastly, if you make this Easy One Pan Caprese Pesto Orzo Bake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Easiest One Pan Caprese Pesto Orzo Bake
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 541 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
- chili flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound dry orzo pasta
- 1 (8 ounce) jar basil pesto
- 2-3 tablespoons sliced peperoncinis
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, shallots, basil, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Roast 10 minutes. Pull the tomatoes out of the oven. To the same pan, add the orzo, pesto, and peperoncinis. Pour over 2 1/2 cups of water and stir to combine. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until most of the water has cooked into the pasta, but not all of it. 3. Stir the pasta around, then sprinkle over the cheese. Bake another 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the sauce bubbling. If there's a lot of oil from the pesto on top, drain off the excess. Top with fresh basil!
Seriously SO good! Made it tonight and subbed in gluten free orzo, will definitely make again!
Hey Sara,
Awesome! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
This looks great, how would I add chicken to this though for protein?
Hey Lindsey,
I would add cooked chicken in step 3. Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Made this for dinner tonight and it was good. Both kids loved it, even with the tomatoes. I made my own pesto due to macro counting and added seasoned chicken on top layering it with the cheese. It was a great one pan meal and quick to make after work.
Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe! Loveee to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
Super easy and delicious! I have served it as a main dish but it would be good as a side and then add some protein in. As a vegetarian I usually just throw some chickpeas into things to help out, I haven’t tried that with this dish yet.
Thank you SO much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an amazing rest of your week! 🙂 xT
It occurs to me as mine as in the oven that the issue many are having may be due to the temperature of the water added. The recipe doesn’t specify if it’s meant to be boiling water added to the dish, or if we use cold/room temperature water that will be brought to a boil in the oven. Might be why some people have had gummy or undercooked orzo.
Thanks for sharing your feedback Haley! You do not need to add boiling water to the dish, if the water needed to be boiling, I would have specifically stated that:) I hope this clarifies the water issue! xT
I want to pre cook this as a freezer meal. I was thinking to do step 2 up to adding the water and the cheese. Freeze with instructions to add water during baking and cheese at the end. Anybody tried it like that? Anybody see any reason it wouldn’t work?
Hi! I haven’t ever tried that myself but let me know! xT
I tried this – it was a hit!
Never has my house smelled better. The taste is divine! Unfortunately, my orzo didn’t cook all the way through, but I added the correct amount of liquid. The orzo is gummy and a bit crunchy. I even left it in the oven for a bit longer to let the water cook through, because it didn’t absorb in the 15 minutes it should have. Can I salvage the dish at all?
Oh no I’m so sorry about that! Did it end up turning out okay?
Very easy and very good. Great for a weeknight dinner.
Thank you for giving this recipe a try! I really hope you loved it 🙂 xT
Made this! Everyone loved it! Even the 15 month old!
Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Have an amazing week! 🙂 xT
Hi! Loved all the flavors here but my orzo came out kind of mushy. Do you know what I could do to rectify this? Definitely want to give it another whirl 😊 thank you!
Hi there! Hmmm it could have been too much liquid? xT
Would this be a good freezer meal?!
Hi Kelsey,
Sure, I would follow the recipe as written and then freeze. You could reheat from frozen. Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Very easy .. tasty , and needs a little something to give it a zing .. maybe more chili flakes or pepperocinis than i added … love ease and elegance of it
Hi Melanie,
Happy Sunday!!🍋🍊 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thank you so much for making it! xT
Do you roast the cherry tomatoes whole or chop the tomatoes?
Hi Sue,
You’re going to roast them whole:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
This was so delicious!!! Easy to make. This can either be a meal or a side dish. I think next time I am going to make some salmon with it! Definitely making again. Thank You!
Hey Michelle,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xx
I can’t wait to try this recipe, but my husband always needs a protein 🙂 I was thinking crumbled Italian sausage might be good? Ideas on how to add it to this dish?
Hi Ann,
Sure, sausage or chicken would work, I would cook them before adding to the dish:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Really easy and yummy! And it makes A LOT of food—served 4 adults and still had half leftover (which was great).
Hi Meg,
Happy Sunday!!🍍🥥 Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Has anyone warmed this up in the oven? My friend is vegetarian and I wanted to bring them a casserole after their surgery… I might reconsider if they’ll have to microwave each serving. Thanks!
Hi Logan,
That should be just fine for them to do:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Hi Logan, what reheating instructions did you use? Curious!