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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!
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
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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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!
This post was originally published on March 31, 2022
I made last night for dinner and it was soo yummy!!! I added cooked Chiken thighs to it before I topped it with the cheese. It was a hit
Hey Heather,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
Sooooo delicious and so fantastic….not to mention so easy!! I baked it in my 9×13 cast iron pan which gave the orzo a fantastic little crust. Added some artichoke hearts which I know weren’t called for but didn’t disappoint. The whole family was gobsmacked at how good it was. Definitely a keeper! Thank you, Tieghan, for your wonderful recipes!
Hey Kathryn,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
Great side dish for a simple chicken dinner. Loved it!
Hi Dawn,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
This turned out great! I used chicken broth instead of water.
Hi Matt,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
This is such a winner! I’ve made this for a group of toddlers (pickiest ages) twice in the last 3 days and they absolutely loved it and begged for more. Thank you Tieghan for adding another winner to my repertoire!
Hi Mindy,
LOL I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
Could I cook this for longer at a lower temperature to go with something else I’m making? Or is the high heat important ?
Hi Rebecca,
Sure, that should be just fine for you to do. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Soo delicious and easy! I added a little balsamic vinegar to the pan with the tomato’s and it was very good 🙂
Hi Abby,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have the best day:) xT
So simple and sooooo delicious! Thanks for a (yet another) home run, any day meal 🙂
Cheers!
Hey Laura,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
Wow this was delicious
Hi Amber,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
My husband wrinkled his nose when I pulled this from the oven. After trying I was told I WILL be making this again. He wouldn’t let anyone have seconds so he could take leftovers to work for lunch. So rich and the tomatoes take on a whole new flavor when roasted. Quick weeknight recipe. Love!
Hey Lenae,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
This was so easy and even better than I thought it would be! I love recipes where I can cook the pasta in the oven and not dirty up an extra dish. My 5 year old enjoyed it too. I didn’t have fresh Basil so I used an Italian seasoning. I only had a 1/2 lb of orzo and so I added 1/2 lb of mini penne and it was perfect.
Hey Tyra,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
I made this with Jovial gluten free orzo and it was very tasty, but gummy due to using the gluten free orzo. I think I need to add more tomatoes, more water and less gluten free orzo to get it right. I love all of your recipes, Tieghan! I am glad I am able to convert most of them to gluten free. If you any suggestions to make this more like the gluten free version, please let me know. I just purchased Half Baked Harvest Everyday, and am looking forward to making more of your wonderful recipes!!
Hi Lisa,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry it was gummy! I would try arborio rice next time, I think that will work well for you! I hope you love the cookbook, thanks so much for purchasing:) xx
Thank you for responding to my review/question. Substituting with Arborio rice is a great idea. How much rice would you suggest I use?
I would use 1 pound:)
I made this ahead for lunches this week and it’s amazing and was so easy to make! Thank you so much!
Hi Annie,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx
Can you substitute the orzo for a different pasta?
I used 1/2 lb orzo and 1/2 lb mini penne because that’s all I had and it turned out perfect. They both had similar cooking times.
Hi Jena,
You could use another short cut noodle. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
This was so good and very easy. I didn’t have any basil on hand and it was still great. I did drain off the excess oil at the very end, but the orzo stays put so it’s relatively easy to drain. Next time I might try draining as much of the pesto as I can before adding it in. Paired it with grilled balsamic chicken and it was a super easy dinner.
This might be a dumb question, but how did you drain off the oil? I’m cooking this tonight and am wondering how I’ll need to do that!
Hi Jill,
You shouldn’t need to drain any oil:) Let me know how the recipe turns out! xx
Hi Jessica,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! xx