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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 in a casserole dish with dry orzo pasta, basil pesto, then finished with melty mozzarella cheese. This incredible dish is all made in one large baking dish without even having to boil any water. Just mix, bake, eat, and enjoy!
Half Baked Harvest At Home
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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 or broth.
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 the orzo mixture, 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
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This looks fantastic! I’m gluten free; do you think if I used GF macaroni it would work? I’m not sure I can find GF orzo….
Hey Vivi,
Yes, I think that would work well for you! I hope this recipe is amazing, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Vivi, vitacost.com has gluten free orzo and its really good!
This is one of my favorites !
Can you suggest some sides that might go well with this?
Hey Linda,
So glad you have been enjoying this recipe! I like to do some crusty bread or salad! Here are some ideas:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/cheaters-no-knead-dutch-oven-sourdough-bread/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/super-green-sun-dried-tomato-herb-salad/
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/autumn-harvest-honeycrisp-apple-and-feta-salad/
I hope this helps! xTieghan
Our family loved this dish! I mixed in a few cups of shredded rotisserie chicken and used cherry tomatoes, basil and pepperoncini from my garden. One of my kids said this is her new favorite recipe! Thanks
Hey Jodi,
Amazing! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Have a great Monday! xTieghan
Great flavor & quick to make but it came out gummy. I used avocado oil, homemade pesto instead of jarred, and no pepperocini. Could that have made a difference?
Hey Lisa,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! Sorry to hear it turned out gummy. None of those should have affected the dish. Was there anything else you may have adjusted? Let me know! xx
YUM! for sure used more cheese and was out of the pepperochinis but it was so good. I even ate some cold. must have bread to soak up the amazing oil, its really easy with great fresh flavors. Another win!
Hi Jennifer,
Amazing! So glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Have a great Sunday! xx
Someone is stealing your content
https://taytun.com/einfachster-one-pan-caprese-pesto-orzo-bake/
Down to the photos! Crazy.
Delicious! I loved using only one pan. The tomatoes add nice little bursts of freshness.
Hi Andrea,
Happy Friday! I am so excited that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a go! xT?
I think this is the only HBH recipe I haven’t loved. Sadly it was dry for me and lacking flavor. Maybe I messed the recipe up. Super easy to make though. I might try it again.
Hi Allie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xTieghan
The worst thing about this when I fixed it for my family is there were NO leftovers! It was fantastic, easy and my family loved it. It will be a regular at dinner. Thank you.
Hi Carol!
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner:)
Could you make this ahead of time? How well does it reheat?
Hey Lauren,
Sure, that would work fine for you, I would make up until the baking point and then bake when you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is wonderfully delicious…thank you for the easy recipe that’s so scrumptious!
Hey Rachel,
Amazing!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback:)
Can you sub anything for Orzo?
Hey Alli,
You could do arborio rice or another mini noodle:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I just discovered your blog this summer and have had the best time trying your recipes. This one hits it out of the ballpark. It is easy, quick, and delicious! I love using fresh ingredients from my garden in the summertime and this one used all of my favorites. I added chicken breasts seasoned like you suggested in your recipe for creamy sun-dried tomato chicken pasta because my family (which includes three teenage boys) needs their protein. ?
I had some of my daughter’s college friends over for this and they loved it. Then my youngest daughter came in with her friend, along with her mom, and they loved it too. I’ll be keeping this in my file of go to recipes. Great way to use my basil (and homemade pesto)!
Hi Amy,
Thanks for your comment and making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Thanks so much for your kind message and following along:) Hope you’re off to a great week! ? xT
Can this be frozen?
Thank you!
Susan
Hi Susan,
Sure, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe:) xx
I have made this recipe so many times. How could I make it as a freezer recipe?
Hi Madeleine,
Thanks for making this recipe so often! I would freeze before baking and then bake from frozen, that should work well for you! xTieghan
Great recipe and no wasted/leftover ingredients. I use a whole jar of pesto, (2) full pints of tomatoes, whole jar of peppercini, full bag of orzo, and a full bag of shredded cheese.
Also nice to have (3) 10-15 minute cooking blocks where you can clean-up as you go.
Hey Christopher,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks for sharing your review and making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xxTieghan
Could you use a glutton free pasta in this recipe?
Hey Wendy,
Sure, that will also work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This recipe was a hit! Easy to make and the directions were simple. This was also my first time cooking with orzo but it definitely won’t be the last.
Hey Iris,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! I hope you had a great holiday weekend!?