For all my mac and cheese lovers out there, this recipe is for you! On todays menu, we have a delicious Caprese orzo pasta, which in my mind is a glorified mac and cheese! Who doesn’t love a good Caprese salad. It is just so refreshing on a hot summer day! This recipe is a twist on the traditional salad because it is now in pasta form! I love that this pasta is bursting with flavor from the cherry tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar! I chose to use cherry tomatoes because they are so easy to work with. There is no need to peel or cut them, instead all you have to do is dump them into the pan!
If you are vegan you can take the chicken marinade but use tofu instead! I think that would work great in this recipe! You can also leave it out all together, and this recipe will still be insanely delicious. The mozzarella cheese can be swapped with vegan mozzarella cheese if needed!
Key ingredients for this Caprese orzo pasta:
- Orzo
- I choose to use Delallo’s whole wheat orzo pasta for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite pasta. Zoodles will work great too!
- Cherry tomatoes
- I definitely recommend using cherry tomatoes because they are so much easier to work with. They also bring a nice tarte flavor to the recipe.
- Sugar
- Please, please, please do not forget about the sugar. There is not that much, but it works wonders when balancing the sour and acidic-ness from the tomatoes and vinegar.
- Italian seasoning
- I love Italian seasoning! That is all for this note.
- Balsamic vinegar
- This is one of the key ingredients in a Caprese salad. I think it adds such an amazing punch to this pasta dish!
- Basil
- Basil is by far my favorite herb. It also happens to be the greens of a Caprese salad.
- Mozzarella Cheese
- I highly recommend using fresh mozzarella that comes in ball form. However, pre-shredded mozzarella or even vegan mozzarella will work
Caprese Orzo Pasta
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 oz whole wheat orzo pasta
- 20 oz cherry tomatoes
- ½ onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup veggie broth
- ½ cup chopped basil
- 4 sliced fresh mozzarella
- Fresh basil leaves to top
Chicken
- 8 oz chicken sliced into thin strips
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water up to a boil and cook the orzo pasta.
- If you are adding chicken marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Add one 1 tbs of olive oil to a pan and sauté the chicken until it has been cooked through. Remove from pan.
- Dice up the onion, garlic and basil. Then add 1 tbs of olive oil and add the onions and garlic. Sauté until fragrant.
- Now add the cherry tomatoes, and cover the pan for 8 minutes.
- Remove the lid and mash the tomatoes so that the juice bursts out!
- Add the sugar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and balsamic vinegar. Stir everything until it is well combined. Then add the veggie broth. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes then follow with the basil leaves, orzo pasta, and chicken.
- Stir everything together and place the 4 slices of fresh mozzarella on top of the pasta. Place the lid back on until the cheese gets melty.
- Top with fresh basil and serve!
