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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!

Easiest One Pan Caprese Pesto Orzo Bake | halfbakedharvest.com

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, 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

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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

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!
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I have made this a few times, it comes out perfect every time! My son is visiting from NC and he was a fan, asked me for the recipe to make for himself 😎
    I add hot Italian sausage on the side. Delicious 😋

    1. Hey Tammie,
      Happy New Year!🎆🎈 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx

  2. Do you think a different pasta could be substituted, like maybe penne? The addition of pepperocini is brilliant!

    1. Hey Katie,
      I would recommend using something smaller like orzo, macaroni, shells, stars, etc. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT

      1. Hey Mollie,
        Amazing!! I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT

    1. Hey Emily,
      If you want to omit the pesto I might add some red sauce that you enjoy! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT

  3. 5 stars
    I used DeLallo gluten free pasta (only 12oz), and didn’t adjust the water. I have found gluten free pasta requires more water. Gluten free pasta also tends to get sticky and benefits from stirring, so never as good as wheat pasta in dishes such as this. In the end, the orzo never cooked through. I might try the recipe in a covered dutch oven with more water and more time, or cook on the stove top where I can more easy test for doneness. I did add some white beans near the end and can recommend that addition!

    1. Hi May,
      Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear this was enjoyed! xT

  4. Hi! Is there anything you recommend if I wanted to assemble/make ahead in the morning and store in the fridge until dinner time?

    1. Hey Ellie,
      You could make up until the point of baking and then bake when you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT

  5. 5 stars
    Every time a HBH recipe comes up in my feed, I know it’s going to be delicious! I don’t know how you do it, but every recipe I’ve made is phenomenal and my family loves it!
    I made this orzo tonight, served it with panko crusted chicken, and the only thing I would change next time is to drizzle it with a balsamic glaze! It was fantastic!

    1. Hey Lorianne,
      Happy Wednesday!!❄️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xT

  6. 5 stars
    I made this recipe twice in 1 day. I needed a quick, simple, and super tasty recipe for my friend who had just had a baby. It was so easy to make a very delicious. My partner saw it and then wanted me to make some for him. I live in Australia and I have not come across gluten-free risoni/orzo, since I am a coeliac I needed gluten-free pasta. So, I adapted the recipe with what I had (gf gnocchi) and it turned out really well. When I put it in the oven the second time after adding the gnocchi to the tomatoes and garlic, I just omitted some of the water as I pre-cooked the gnocchi. It turned out so well, the gnocchi was cooked and the dish had a lot of flavor. My partner was a fan too and wants to add this to the regular rotation.

    1. Hey Cas,
      Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT

  7. Hi! If i wanted to add chicken to this, how do you suggest I do that? And how will it affect cooking times? Thanks!

    1. Hi Nicole,
      I would add already cooked chicken before baking:) Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx

  8. This looks amazing, my family really doesn’t like pepperoncinis is there anything you would substitute with or just leave them out?

  9. Hello!!
    My girlfriend just made the one pan Caprese orzo bake and just loved it!! A winner, as you say!!!
    One question: The recipe calls for some sliced Peperoncini. Is that the regular one or the pickled one?
    Please advise. I don’t want to get this wrong. Many thanks!! 🌸

    1. Hey Marion,
      I used the pickled version:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx

  10. TOTALLY DELICIOUS. This meal was prepared for my son/daughter in law as part of the “meal train” from church to their home as they just had their baby. This dish is truly spectacular! Thank you, Musgrove family, for such a treat!

    1. Hey Brenda,
      Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend!❄️

  11. I am wanting to make this for a family dinner but we have some people who are gluten-free and so we can’t use the orzo pasta. Do you have any recommendations for a substitute for the orzo?

    1. Hi Sara,
      Your local grocery store should have some gluten free orzo options, if not, arborio rice will also work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out tasty, let me know if you give it a try! xT

  12. Hi! Can I use a mix of sun dried tomatoes and fresh? Or replace with sun dried?

    Gonna try this tonight, thanks so much!

    1. Hey Colleen,
      Sure, that would be great to do! I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx

  13. 5 stars
    This is so easy and delicious. I’ve made it as is once. Tonight I had some Italian sausage that needed to be used to I added it to this recipe and it was great too! I may have added a little bit too much pepper flakes – it had some heat to it but my family still loved it.

  14. 5 stars
    We loved this! We couldn’t find the pasta at our local store so we substituted for a small shell. It took longer to bake, but it worked out great. We also added some cooked shrimp when we added the cheese. Definitely making this again!

    1. Hey Rhonda,
      Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xx