Posted Jul 03, 2023, Updated Aug 01, 2024 One of my favorite things about summertime is picking fresh tomatoes and basil from my garden and using them to create fresh and delicious recipes, like this caprese orzo salad (and this bruschetta recipe – yum)! It’s a light and flavorful, but still hearty, salad made with a homemade dressing and topped with toasted pine nuts. It’s easy to make and can be customized by adding your favorite fresh veggies!
Caprese Orzo Salad: Ingredients & Substitutions
Orzo. you can use regular orzo, whole wheat orzo or even small-shaped pasta. Or try caprese quinoa salad or caprese pasta salad. Green Onion. Any onion variety works well in this recipe such as white, yellow or red onion. Baby Tomatoes. You can substitute any tomato variety including heirloom, Roma, etc. Avocado. I love the creaminess avocado adds to this salad, you can omit it if desired. Mozzarella cheese. use fresh mozzarella for the best results. Fresh basil. There are no substitutes for fresh basil in this recipe – it’s a must! Olive oil. Avocado oil is a great substitute if you don’t have olive oil. Dijon Mustard. Any mustard variety can be used in place of Dijon. Balsamic vinegar. use a high-quality balsamic vinegar. It should be thick and naturally sweet and our like molasses (not watery).
How to Make Caprese Orzo Salad
Let’s walk through how to make this caprese orzo salad recipe step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video!
Cook the Orzo
The first step in making this orzo salad is cooking the orzo, which usually takes about 25 minutes. You can do this up to the day before and store it in the refrigerator so you can quickly make the salad on the day you’d like to serve it. I often cook the orzo in the morning and let it cool until I’m ready to make the salad later in the day. When the orzo is finished cooking, drain it but do not rinse. Un-rinsed orzo absorbs the dressing significantly better than rinsed!
Make the dressing
While the orzo is cooking, make the dressing by whisking the ingredients together in a small bowl. It’s important to make the dressing before the orzo has finished cooking, because we mix half of it into the warm orzo to prevent sticking.
Assemble
After you drain the orzo, transfer it to a large bowl. Then, add half the dressing and stir until it’s evenly distributed. Chill the partially dressed orzo in the refrigerator until it cools down to at least room temperature. Once the orzo has cooled sufficiently, add green onion, tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella and the remaining dressing and stir to combine. At this point, be sure to taste the caprese orzo salad and add salt and pepper as desired. Then, chill for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend and the salad to cool completely. Toasted pine nuts are the chef’s kiss of this recipe. They add flavor and crunch and should not be omitted. You can make them while you cook the orzo and set them aside to use after the salad has chilled, or you can prepare them immediately before serving. To toast the pine nuts, heat them over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring often. Do not walk away from the pan while you are cooking them. They go from barely brown to burnt very quickly – and they are too expensive to be rendered inedible by burning! 😉 Once they’re toasted, set them aside to use later.
Serve
When ready to serve, add the toasted pine nuts, avocado (optional but recommended) and fresh basil on top of the salad. Then serve it cold. Here are some suggestions of dishes that pair well with this orzo salad:
Baked chicken breasts are a great main dish to compliment this salad, also this honey mustard chicken. Serve it alongside BBQ chicken sandwiches or chicken salad sandwiches (or this healthy avocado chicken salad) Or serve it with your favorite BBQ sides like pasta salad, cucumber salad, 3 bean salad, and broccoli salad.
Store
Because of the avocado in this recipe it lasts for 1-2 days in the fridge. If you choose not to add avocado it can last for up to 5 days. If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
