This Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad brings together everything I love about summer in one bowl. Bright and herby with the most delicious balsamic vinaigrette, it's a riff on my classic Herb Caprese Salad with chewy orzo and roasted jammy tomatoes folded in. If you love a good summer tomato salad, you'll also be obsessed with my Heirloom Tomato and Feta Salad. Prep this orzo ahead for easy lunches all week, bring it to your next backyard BBQ, or check out my full roundup of 60+ Best Salad Recipes That Aren't Boring for even more inspiration.
Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 40 minutes (10 min prep + 30 min cook)
- 👪 Servings: 4 (easily doubled for a crowd)
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: American / Mediterranean / Summer Picnic
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Bright balsamic, sweet jammy roasted tomatoes, creamy fresh mozzarella, peppery basil, and chewy orzo
- 📖 Dietary Info: Contains dairy (mozzarella) and gluten (orzo); vegetarian; can be made gluten-free with GF orzo or pearled couscous
- 📦 Storage Notes: Refrigerate covered for 3–5 days; serve cold, room temp, or warm; the dressing actually improves overnight; freezing not recommended (mozzarella and fresh basil don't thaw well)
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: A no-fuss summer pasta salad that combines two icons of the season, caprese and orzo, in one bowl. Bright balsamic, jammy roasted tomatoes, and pearls of fresh mozzarella. Make-ahead friendly and crowd approved.
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Why I Love This Recipe
I love pasta salads in the summer for two reasons they can be prepped ahead, and they're an easy dish to serve at a BBQ or cook-out. I like to stick to a vinaigrette based pasta salad recipe rather than a mayo based one as I find it holds up better when sitting out.
This Orzo Pasta Salad also make a great lunch or dinner. Just like my Greek Pasta Salad recipe it's an easy recipe to prep on Sunday and keep stocked in your fridge for the week so you have lunch or dinner handled without any real effort!
There are only a few ingredients to this recipe. Fresh cherry tomatoes and roasted jammy tomatoes are added to the orzo pasta along with mozzarella pearls, basil, and the most incredible balsamic dressing. It's beautiful and flavorful and comes together in a pinch. Looking for more easy pasta recipes to make this summer? Enter my delicious Ratatouille Pasta. I mean come on!
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Ingredients & Substitutions
- Orzo Pasta - feel free to use your favorite pasta shape in this recipe. Fusilli, cavatappi, farfalle, casarecce, orecchiette or ditalini would all work well.
- Cherry Tomatoes - grape tomatoes or sun gold tomatoes can be used as a substitute.
- Fresh Mozzarella Pearls - ciliegine or diced bocconcini mozzarella balls work well too.
- Herbs - I like to use a combination of fresh basil, parsley, and chives
- Olive Oil - for the vinaigrette.
- Balsamic Vinegar - I prefer to use balsamic vinegar but champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar would also work.
- Garlic Cloves - freshly minced garlic adds another depth of flavor to this Orzo Pasta Salad.
- Salt and Pepper - goes without saying.
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below
Substitutions & Swaps
🍝 Pasta
- Fusilli or cavatappi - Holds dressing in the spirals, swap 1:1
- Farfalle - Pretty bowtie shape, classic for picnic salads
- Casarecce or orecchiette - Traps tomato bits in the curls
- Ditalini - Smaller bites, great for kids
- Gluten-free orzo - 1:1 swap, watch the cook time and drain at al dente
🍅 Tomatoes
- Heirloom tomatoes (mid-summer) - Cube and use raw, no roasting needed
- Sun-dried tomatoes (off-season) - 1 cup roughly chopped, skip the roasting step entirely
- Tomato confit - Game-changer if you have a jar; use 1 cup with its oil
- Cherry tomatoes (only roasted) - Use 2 pints all roasted for a deeper, more concentrated flavor
🧀 Cheese
- Burrata - Dolloped on top instead of stirred in for a creamy center
- Bocconcini (slightly bigger pearls) - More dramatic bite
- Crumbled goat cheese - Tangier, richer
- Feta - Briny finish, swap 1:1 by weight
- Vegan cashew mozzarella - Dairy-free version
🌿 Herbs
- Mint - Add ¼ cup torn for a brighter twist
- Tarragon - Anise notes that play beautifully with balsamic
- Arugula - Toss in a handful for peppery balance
- Basil oil - Drizzle if fresh basil is past its prime
🍯 Dressing
- Aged balsamic glaze - Drizzle on top for a sweeter, syrupy finish
- White balsamic - Lighter and more delicate, better when you want the cheese forward
- Champagne vinegar + 1 teaspoon honey - For a less assertive dressing
- Pesto-balsamic blend - Stir 2 tablespoon pesto into the dressing for an herby bomb
How to Make Orzo Pasta Salad
Step 1: Start by cooking the orzo until al dente.
Step 2: Meanwhile make the balsamic dressing at the bottom of a large bowl.
Step 3: And the cooked orzo pasta to the bowl and mix to evenly dress the pasta.
Step 4: Then roast the halved tomatoes. Remove once they turn jammy, and sprinkle them with flaky salt, pepper, and the herbs.
Step 5: Add the roasted and fresh cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls, and basil leaves to the bowl with pasta.
Step 6: And toss until combined.
How to Store Orzo Pasta Salad
You can store leftover pasta salad in an airtight container for 3-5 days. This salad tastes great both warm and cold, so feel free to re-heat or not based on your preference and accompaniments!
How to Freeze Orzo Pasta Salad
Since this salad has fresh tomatoes and basil, I would not recommend freezing it. If you do have to freeze, freeze just the pasta and dressing without the fresh components in an airtight container.
🍅🌿🧀 Tips & Tricks for the Best Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad
Bright, jammy, herby, and the make-ahead pasta salad that gets better overnight
- Roast half the tomatoes, leave half raw. This is THE move. Roasted ones go jammy and concentrated, raw ones stay juicy and bright. Texture and flavor contrast in every bite.
- Dress the orzo while it's still warm. Warm pasta is porous and pulls in vinaigrette like a sponge. Cold pasta sits in dressing without absorbing it.
- Cook orzo just to al dente, not past. Two minutes shy of package directions. It firms up as it cools and you don't want a mushy salad.
- Salt the pasta water heavily. A full tablespoon for 4 quarts. Orzo cooks fast and only seasons from the inside if the water is salty enough.
- Drain orzo, don't rinse. Rinsing washes off the surface starch that helps the dressing cling. Just drain and toss.
- Tear the basil at the very end, not chopped. Knife cuts oxidize basil and turn it brown within minutes. Hand-tear right before serving.
- Use cold mozzarella pearls straight from the fridge. Adding them while the orzo is hot melts them. Add at the end with the basil for clean, bouncy bites.
- Salt the roasted tomatoes after they cool. Salting hot tomatoes pulls out water and turns the salad watery. Cool first, then season with flaky salt.
- Make it a day ahead for a picnic or BBQ. The flavors deepen as the orzo soaks. Just refresh with a splash of olive oil and a hit of vinegar before serving.
- Bring to room temp before serving. Cold mozzarella and balsamic can taste flat. Pull the bowl from the fridge 30 minutes before guests arrive.
FAQs
How long does homemade pasta salad keep?
Pasta salad will last for up to 3-5 days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
Should I dress my pasta salad the night before?
You can absolutely dress your pasta salad the night before. This will allow for the flavors to develop and come together even more while it sits in the fridge.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Caprese Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces orzo pasta
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes halved and divided
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves torn
- 2 tablespoons parsley freshly minced
- 2 tablespoons chives freshly minced
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain the orzo and let it cool slightly.
- Prep the dressing. Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together until well mixed.
- Transfer the orzo pasta to the bowl with the vinaigrette and toss to dress.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and transfer 1 pint of the halved tomatoes onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes. Remove and let cool. Then sprinkle with flaky salt, pepper and the herbs.
- Add both roasted and raw tomatoes, mozzarella pearls and basil leaves to the pasta bowl and toss until combined. Adjust salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
- Roast half the tomatoes, leave half raw. This is THE move. Roasted ones go jammy and concentrated, raw ones stay juicy and bright. Texture and flavor contrast in every bite.
- Dress the orzo while it's still warm. Warm pasta is porous and pulls in vinaigrette like a sponge. Cold pasta sits in dressing without absorbing it.
- Cook orzo just to al dente, not past. Two minutes shy of package directions. It firms up as it cools and you don't want a mushy salad.
- Salt the pasta water heavily. A full tablespoon for 4 quarts. Orzo cooks fast and only seasons from the inside if the water is salty enough.
- Drain orzo, don't rinse. Rinsing washes off the surface starch that helps the dressing cling. Just drain and toss.
- Tear the basil at the very end, not chopped. Knife cuts oxidize basil and turn it brown within minutes. Hand-tear right before serving.
- Use cold mozzarella pearls straight from the fridge. Adding them while the orzo is hot melts them. Add at the end with the basil for clean, bouncy bites.
- Salt the roasted tomatoes after they cool. Salting hot tomatoes pulls out water and turns the salad watery. Cool first, then season with flaky salt.
- Make it a day ahead for a picnic or BBQ. The flavors deepen as the orzo soaks. Just refresh with a splash of olive oil and a hit of vinegar before serving.
- Bring to room temp before serving. Cold mozzarella and balsamic can taste flat. Pull the bowl from the fridge 30 minutes before guests arrive.
So fresh and so good! Thank you for this recipe <3
Love the combo of roasted and raw tomatoes - it made this so flavorful (especially at the end of tomato season). Definitely a future go to recipe! Shared with friends on an evening boat ride and it was perfect!