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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!
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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 is soooo tasty!!! I added feta and used whole wheat orzo! I just had to add a little more water and bake it a little longer…. Or my oven is off!!! Haha, thanks for the recipe.?
Hey Nat,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend!☀️ xx
Recipe says 400 degree oven but video on IG was 425. Wondering which is best. Thanks
Hi Ann,
Please follow the recipe as is and use a 400F degree oven. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Wonderful vegetarian comfort food! My question is about the salt seasoning. I added 1 tsp to the tomato mixture before roasting figuring that would be enough with the saltiness from the pesto-I used a store bought version. But the water diluted it enough that I think I need to add more, either to the tomato mixture before roasting or an additional amount when adding orzo/pesto/water. Any suggestions for how much salt&pepper to use?
Hi Lisa,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! I would add a couple teaspoons of salt if you prefer to have more:) Have the best weekend!☀️ xx
I made this tonight (1/2 the recipe worked great, 8 ounces of orzo and 1 1/4 cup water) and it was yummy! Another winner!!
Hi Jane,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have the best weekend!☀️ xx
I’m
Gluten free sort of lol, is there any way to do this using brown rice? If so how/what would you change? Thank you
Hi Lynn,
Sorry, for this recipe, I would not use brown rice. You could use GF orzo though:) Let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks amazing. Do you think any other form of pasta would work? We have to cook gluten-free due to a family allergy and GF orzo is rare where I live (I’ll have to order it). I want to make this ASAP!
Hey Marla,
Sure, you could do arborio rice or a short cut gf noodle. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
I’m always afraid I’ll burn the butter. Do you have a tip for knowing when it’s reached the point?
Hi Linda,
Are you referring to this recipe? There is no butter here:) Let me know how I can help!! xTieghan
I’m not a huge leftover girl. Want to start cooking 2-3 portion meals. Would I cut back the water in the same proportion, or will the orzo not cook properly with less water?
Hi Geri,
Yes, you will want to cut back the water depending on what you adjust your serving size to. I would also use a smaller baking dish, like a 9 inch pan. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe. xTieghan
I have a beautiful HUGE glass jar of pitted olives and marinated garlic…,,,,,think they will make it in with the tomatoes when i make this!!!!
I hope you love the recipe Jessica!
I made this recipe exactly as written. It was a huge hit! I served it alongside baked chicken. I don’t eat meat, so I am always looking for hearty side dishes for myself and that will go well with a separate meat entree for my other family members. This was amazing! Thank you for sharing. ?
Hi Lisa,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I added diced Italian chicken sausage. Everyone loved it.
Hi Kat,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
Super easy! I used 2.5c low sodium chicken broth rather than water and it gave this dish great flavor!
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xxT
I am definitely going to try this! Any suggestions for protein to add or serve on the side? Or suggestion for something to serve along with this? Thanks!
Hey Kristine,
I think ground sausage or chicken would work really well here. Just cook it on the side and then add to the dish in step 3. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Are the peperochinis the jarred/pickled kind? Or did you use fresh ones? I love peperochinis but fresh vs. pickled would definitely taste a lot different!
This looks great! I’ll definitely try it soon.
Hi there,
I used jarred peperoncinis. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This looks incredible and I will definitely be making asap! Thanks for all your hard work, Tieghan.
Thanks so much Jenn, I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan