Pesto shrimp orzo is a simple, flavorful, creamy meal that’s prepared in simply 20 minutes with 4 predominant elements. This orzo pasta is coated with pesto and paired with plump shrimp and tomatoes for a easy weeknight dinner. Good for weekday meals but in addition good to feed a crowd.
When you love fast and simple recipes like this, it’s best to strive my Pesto Tuna Pasta recipe or do that Pesto Hen Skillet with rice or pasta on the facet for a easy meal.
Recipe highlights
- 4 elements
- 20 minutes
- Simple to make
- Attention-grabbing meal
- Nice for busy weeknights
- Versatile
Elements
- Orzo – this small pasta seems like rice however it’s pasta. Typically discovering a gluten free orzo might be robust, so you would additionally use gluten free pasta.
- Pesto – use your favourite pesto or make your personal.
- Shrimp – I like to make use of giant Argentinian Pink Shrimp from Dealer Joe’s. I like this as a result of it’s peeled and deveined. Be sure you permit the shrimp to defrost utterly earlier than cooking.
- Tomatoes – I really like including tomatoes to any dish with pesto. It’s a terrific pop of colour and the flavors pair completely.
The way to make pesto orzo with shrimp
Cook dinner orzo: Deliver water to a boil, cook dinner orzo in response to the package deal instructions.
Cook dinner the shrimp. Warmth a medium to giant skillet over medium warmth. When sizzling, spray with avocado oil (or olive oil) and add shrimp, salt and garlic powder. Cook dinner 2-3 minutes, flip and cook dinner 1-2 extra minutes. Flip off warmth.
Lower tomatoes in half.
Reserve pasta water: When orzo is completed cooking, reserve 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the pasta water earlier than draining.
Assemble the dish: Drain orzo, add shrimp, pesto and tomatoes to the pot. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta water and stir nicely. Add extra pasta water if wanted.
Prime suggestions
- Make this with shrimp, hen, chickpeas or salmon.
- Use retailer purchased pesto to make this tremendous easy. You probably have an extra quantity of basil at dwelling, make your personal pesto!
- To avoid wasting time, make sure you purchase peeled, deveined shrimp. I at all times purchase frozen and defrost in beneath an hour or in a single day (if you happen to bear in mind to defrost the evening earlier than).
- When you overlook to defrost your shrimp, you may cook dinner frozen shrimp within the air fryer.
Variations
- Add extra veggies: Add cooked zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, asparagus, roasted purple peppers, child spinach, kale, artichoke hearts
- Spice: Add crushed purple pepper flakes
- Different protein: You need to use cooked hen (diced hen or shredded hen), chickpeas, Italian tofu or salmon bites.
What to serve with pesto orzo
Frequent questions
The place to search out gluten free orzo
Orzo is pasta that’s cooked quick and resembles rice. Till just lately, there weren’t a ton of gluten free choices. Nevertheless, I’ve discovered 2 actually scrumptious gluten free choices:
Can you employ selfmade pesto
Sure! You probably have an abundance of basil and would like to make use of selfmade, use your favourite recipe or you may strive:
What if you happen to don’t have orzo?
When you don’t have orzo pasta, you need to use rice, pasta, spaghetti squash, or cauliflower rice.
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- 1 pound giant shrimp – peeled and deveined
- 1 cup pesto
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 oz orzo
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes – reduce in half
- ¼ cup pasta water
Deliver water to a boil, cook dinner orzo in response to the package deal instructions.
Whereas orzo is cooking, cook dinner the shrimp. Warmth a medium to giant skillet over medium warmth. When sizzling, spray with avocado oil (or olive oil) and add shrimp, salt and garlic powder. Cook dinner 2-3 minutes, flip and cook dinner 1-2 extra minutes. Flip off warmth.
Lower tomatoes in half.
When orzo is completed cooking, reserve 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the pasta water earlier than draining.
Drain orzo, add shrimp, pesto and tomatoes to the pot. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta water and stir nicely. Add extra pasta water if wanted.
Serve sizzling or at room temperature.
- Make this with shrimp, hen, chickpeas or salmon.
- Use retailer purchased or selfmade pesto.
- To avoid wasting time, make sure you purchase peeled, deveined shrimp. If frozen, defrost in beneath an hour or in a single day.
- When you overlook to defrost your shrimp, you may cook dinner frozen shrimp within the air fryer.
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- Fridge: Retailer leftover shrimp orzo pesto pasta within the fridge for as much as 3 days in an hermetic container.
- Freezer: You possibly can freeze leftovers in a freezer secure container, nevertheless I don’t love the feel of the shrimp when frozen and defrosted after being cooked.
Diet Info
Diet Information
Quantity per Serving
The place does diet information come from? Diet information are offered as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Meals Database.
