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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, donโt 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 400ยฐ 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!
So easy and delicious! ๐ Thanks for sharing this quick, comforting weeknight meal โ especially appreciate the minimal prep time and ingredients. Will make again!
Oops, meant to give 4* so adjusting here.
Hey Barbmia,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe, so glad to hear it was a winner! Have the best weekend! x
This was so delicious! I halved the recipe because thereโs only two in my household and I donโt want too many leftovers. Well that was a mistake! Thereโs not enough leftovers now. Ha ha. This will be in regular rotation (at the full recipe).
Hey Kristin,
Yay!! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Have a great day! xT
We LOVE this so much and it is on regular rotation in our home. It’s so simple and extremely delicious. Thank you so much for the awesome recipe!
Hey Allison,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a hit! x
This is very good. There are a couple grammatical errors in the instruction. Instead of โPull the tomatoes out,โ (which implies separating them for some other process, it should be, โPull the pan out.โ And instead Step 3 โStir the pasta around, then sprinkle over the cheese,โ it should be, โStir the pasta around, then sprinkle the cheese over the top.โ
Otherwise, this is a really delicious recipe that weโve made several times.
Hi Charles,
Thanks for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I love this recipe! Iโve probably made it 6 times, but can never remember how many cups 1 pound of orzo is equal to. Help! ๐
Hey Drew,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for your comment, love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you giving it a try! It should be about 2 cups. x
Loved it! Tried it tonight and it made so much. Perfect for leftovers. It was super simple, easy, and delicious! Great for all the basil right now.
Hey Jen,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Xx
Made this yesterday. Was lovely cooked on hob instead of oven to make sure Orzo cooked through added chicken and then placed under grill for melting cheese on top. Really nice
Hey Paula,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a lot for making it! Xx