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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.
Another keeper recipe! Usually my husband isn’t thrilled with dinners that don’t include meat but he loved this for dinner and reheated as leftovers the next day. I probably added twice the amount of tomatoes as well as canned artichoke hearts, but otherwise followed the recipe. The pesto adds a wonderful herbal flavor that goes perfectly with the pasta and cheese. Yum!
Hi Karen,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it!! Have a great week:) xxT
Made this recently for my family, including 3 kids 4 and under. Everyone absolutely LOVED it!! My husband had seconds and then repeatedly went back to the pan for another spoonful. It was super easy, very flavourful and something that can be made with ingredients I always have on hand.
Hey Amanda,
Happy Sunday!! I love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out and sharing your feedback!! xTieghan
OMG this was so good. I made it for a crowd and it was a huge hit.
Hey Melanie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a go and sharing your feedback!! I love to hear that it was a winner:) xTieghan
I liked this a lot! And so easy! I bet it would be great with some burrata on top, or maybe some garlic bread on the side. 🙂
Hey Veronica,
That’s great!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xxT
Amazing and so easy!!!We added some crumbled sausage for protein. We love all your recipes!
Hey Danielle,
Wonderful!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a hit! Have a great weekend:) xx
This was good AF and simple to make! Thanks for the receipe!
Hi Stephanie,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
so good & so easy! my husband loved – definitely going to add this one to our dinner rotation!
Hey Katie,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! I am so glad it was enjoyed. Have a great week! ?xxT
Hi Tiegan,
Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
Hey Darby,
Sure, just make up until the point of baking and then bake when you are ready to enjoy. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Great! I used gf orzo and the vegan cashew pesto from TJ’s (because I like it. I’m not vegan) and it turned out delicious. Needed 1/2 c extra water. Love the idea of adding artichoke hearts and some wine and broth next time. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hi Trista,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
made this last night but with a few changes. i substituted the water with 1.5cups of stock and 1 cup of white wine. My hubby also loves an added protein but i didn’t want to take over the other wonderful flavors so i used a fully cooked sliced roasted garlic chicken sausage and added it a few minutes before i added the cheese. It was amazing and a huge with with the kids and hubby.
Hey Stephanie,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
I made this last night and it was so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except I added more pepperoncini for additional kick. The best part of this was how easy it was to make. The only change I would make next time is less pesto to save some calories, I might also add artichokes or more tomatoes (I used 2 cups).
Hey Mary,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
Can’t wait to make this. Should I serve with a protein, or is this the main entree? Looking to serve this at my book club dinner next week, but wondering what else to serve with it.
Hi Bridget,
It’s really up to you:) This can totally be a main entree or a side, whatever you like! I hope you love the recipe! xx
This is so good and so easy! I added a swirl of balsamic glaze on top of each bowl and we gobbled it up so fast!
Hey Rachel,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT
If my son is allergic to pesto can I substitute with something else or just leave it out?
Hi Hadley,
I would use some other type of sauce in place of the pesto:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Ok this was sooo delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, except I used chicken broth instead of water. My whole family ate it right up, including my 1 and 4 year olds! Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Hey Leanne,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT
We made this for Easter and it was a huge hit! We added a bell pepper and corn to roast with the tomatoes, and about 8oz of chopped spinach at the same time as the cheese (we did extra cheese too and mixed some in as well as sprinkling on top) it was fantastic! Needed slightly longer cooking time to fully cook the orzo, maybe that was due to all the extras.
Hey Jane,
Wonderful!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear that it was a winner! xxT