This Orzo Caprese Salad is a delicious twist on a classic caprese salad! Cooked orzo pasta is combined with juicy tomatoes, cucumber, and creamy mozzarella. Ready on the table in less than 30 minutes! Serve it for lunch, light dinner, or as a side dish.
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Why This Recipe Works
A vibrant summer pasta salad - This salad is easy to make, comes together in less than 30 minutes and it's perfect for the summer. During hot summer days, it's rare you'll make a big bowl of steaming hot pasta. Instead, use small pasta shapes in salads to satisfy your pasta cravings while still keeping your meals light and refreshing.
A delicious twist on the classic - This salad is a little less heavy on the mozzarella than the classic caprese salad. Besides the added orzo, it also has more veggies. Everything is mixed together in a bowl instead of being served sliced on a plate.
A light lunch or a side dish - This orzo caprese salad makes the perfect side for a summer BBQ! Tomatoes are extra sweet and juicy during tomato season in the summer and give this salad great flavor. The creamy soft mozzarella balances out any spicier meat or even veggies from the grill.
Ingredients
- Ripe tomatoes - The best tomatoes you can use are tomatoes while they're in season in the summer. They're extra juicy and flavorful. You can use any type of tomatoes you have on hand. Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or heirloom tomatoes are all great options.
- Cucumber and red onion - Besides just the classic tomatoes, this recipe also has cucumbers and red onion to turn it into a bigger salad with even more flavor and texture. You can also add other veggies! More about that in the next section below.
- Orzo - Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that has nothing to do with rice. It just looks like a large grain of rice. It's made with wheat, just like any other pasta shape. It retains its texture really well after cooking which makes it great for salads like this one.
- Mozzarella pearls - You can use a regular large fresh mozzarella cheese (the semi-soft round one, not the hard one you grate) but I like using these small mozzarella balls and cutting them in half to have even size pieces easily distributed in the salad.
- Balsamic dressing - The dressing is made with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a touch of honey, dried oregano, and garlic powder. You can also use fresh oregano if you have it on hand. You can also drizzle the finished salad with balsamic glaze for extra flavor.
- Fresh basil - Basil can't be missing in any Caprese salad and this one is no different! I highly recommend using fresh basil if possible because it has so much more flavor than dried basil.
Variations and Substitutions
- More veggies - Chopped bell peppers would be a great addition to this salad. You can also add roasted vegetables if you have them. Roasted zucchini, bell peppers, or eggplant would work really well in this pasta salad.
- Gluten-free pasta - If you come across gluten-free orzo, you can use it in this salad or substitute it with any other small gluten-free pasta shape.
- Vegan cheese - You can use vegan mozzarella if you have a favorite one. Alternatively, you can also use roasted tofu.
- Different cheese - If you don't like mozzarella, you can also use other cheese. Feta cheese or pan-fried halloumi would be delicious in this salad! You can follow the recipe for this Halloumi Sandwich to cook the halloumi.
- Lemon juice - If you don't have balsamic vinegar, you can use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead to make the dressing.
More Orzo Recipes To Try
If this is your first time trying orzo, here are a few recipes to give you some ideas how else you can use it. You can make both hot and cold dishes with it. See Pasta Recipes for more.
If you want to make more refreshing salads, give this Greek Orzo Pasta Salad a try. If you want to try it in a warm dish, definitely check out this Pesto Orzo with Lemon Garlic Shrimp or this Halloumi Orzo Bowl with Roasted Veg and Herby Yogurt Sauce!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Cook the orzo until al dente according to package instructions (usually 8-10 mins). Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large salad bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. You can do this in a separate small bowl but this way there are fewer dirty dishes!
- To the same bowl, add the cooked orzo, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, red onion, fresh basil, and mozzarella.
- Toss everything together with the dressing until well-mixed.
- Serve right away or keep in the fridge until ready to eat.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve the salad as a light main for lunch or dinner or you can serve it as a side.
The salad is a great side dish to any meal you'd serve regular caprese salad with. It's delicious with roasted chicken, fish like salmon, or shrimp. It's great for grilling season with any meat, veggies, or tofu from the grill.
Storing
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Since the salad doesn't have any lettuce, it won't wilt down but the tomatoes will release water as they sit with the dressing so the salad is best enjoyed as soon as possible.
FAQs
You can make it a day or two ahead but the tomatoes and cucumber do release water as they sit. This is a salad that's best consumed right away as it only lasts about 2-3 days in the fridge because of the added cheese.
No, it's made with 100% wheat. There may be some gluten-free options on the market but I haven't found any yet.
Similar Salad Recipes
Are you looking for more pasta salads or just other salads with similar veggies? Try the four below! See the Salads category for all the latest salad recipes.
- Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad
- Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad
- Greek Orzo Salad
- Greek Cucumber Salad
- Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Avocado Dressing
📖 Recipe
Orzo Caprese Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Orzo Caprese Salad with balsamic vinaigrette is a delicious twist on a classic salad and so easy to make! Serve it for lunch, light dinner, or as a side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry orzo
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp honey (or maple syrup)
- ½ tsp dried oregano (or 1 tbsp fresh)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp garlic powder (or 1 small clove, minced)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups diced cucumber (4 small cucumbers)
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 cup mini mozzarella, halved
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to package instructions (usually 8-10 mins). Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano, sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add the cooked orzo, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, red onion, basil, and mozzarella.
- Toss everything together with the dressing until well mixed.
- Serve right away or keep in the fridge until ready to eat.
Notes
Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Do not freeze.
Marta
Caprese salad is my hubby's favorite, but I've never thought to add pasta to the recipe. This makes a great lunch that's more filling than the appetizer.
veenaazmanov
This salad is just perfect for a light Dinner. I love the tangy, sweet and sour dressing combination and the hit of Garlic powder and Peppe. The Orzo and the healthy veggie combination with the yummy cheese topping makes this Salad Bowl inviting.
Bernice
Yum! You had me at caprese... seriously I'll eat anything with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese. The flavours were bang on and it made a perfect dinner side dish with our barbecued chicken.
Elaine
I just made the Orzo Caprese Salad yesterday, and it was good! The mix of ripe tomatoes, smooth mozzarella, and basil with the orzo pasta created an excellent flavor profile. This salad was the perfect accompaniment to my barbecue dinner, and it's certainly earned a spot in my go-to list for summer meals!
DK
This is such a great summer salad! The combination of orzo and cherry tomatoes is just superb!
Giangi Townsend
You had me at orzo! WOW!! The perfect salad and we could not stop eating it. Light and so much flavor. Thumbs up from my family and making it again soon.
Dennis Littley
What a brilliant idea! Your caprese salad was delicioius. I love the addition of the orzo; it made a delicious light lunch.
Leslie
Absolutely love this recipe! It has all the right flavors and ratios are perfect for all the ingredients! YUM!
Hayley Dhanecha
Nothing like having preparing delicious and easy summer salad on a warm day. So Yum with anything or on it's own.
Sharon
I prepared this Orzo Caprese salad for a backyard BBQ, and the flavors were fresh and vibrant. Also, the dish looked beautiful on the table.