Orzo Pesto Salad With Tomatoes Fresh Mozzarella Food

BARILLA® ORZO PASTA SALAD WITH BASIL PESTO, CHERRY TOMATOES & FRESH MOZZARELLA | BARILLA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt.
• Cook pasta 1 minute under required cooking time, drain and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• Place on sheet tray to cool down.
• In a blender combine: garlic, half of the pine nuts, and basil, pulse for a few seconds.
• Slowly drizzle in remaining olive oil to emulsify the pesto.
• Add half the Parmigiano and pulse, season with salt and pepper, set aside.
• In a large bowl combine, pesto and pasta and stir to incorporate.
• Fold in remaining cheeses, cherry tomatoes and pine nuts.

ORZO PESTO SALAD WITH TOMATOES & FRESH MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orzo according to package directions. When the pasta is cooked, drain it in a colander. Rinse the orzo with cool water and drain twice more.
• Place the drained, cooled orzo in a large bowl. Stir in the pesto. Depending on how thick you pesto is, you may need to add some olive oil to loosen up the pasta. Drizzle olive oil in as needed.
• Halve the cherry tomatoes and tear the basil leaves into small pieces. Toss both into the bowl of orzo along with the spinach. Give everything a good stir to mix and add more olive oil if needed.
• Tear the bocconcini into bite sized pieces and add them to the bowl. Stir to combine.
• Season the pasta salad with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature as a meal or as a side.

ORZO & MOZZARELLA SALAD

Steps:

• Boil the orzo for 8 mins until tender, then drain and cool under cold water. Drain again, then tip into a large bowl. Meanwhile, tear the basil, stalks and all, into a food processor. Add the oil, Parmesan, garlic and half the pine nuts, then whizz to a thick pesto-like dressing.
• Stir the dressing through the orzo, then season. The dressing will seem quite thick, but keep stirring and it will eventually coat all the grains. Add the bocconcini, tomatoes and a handful of the rocket. Scatter with the remaining pine nuts and a little more Parmesan, if you like. Top with more rocket, then serve straight away.