This recipe is completely inspired by Ina Garten’s roasted vegetable orzo, a picnic staple I make versions of all spring and summer. My take uses a nut-free arugula and basil pesto that turns everything a beautiful emerald green, with a naturally garlicky goodness that is easy to love. As one reader put it: “The pesto is SO good. I’ve been putting it on everything.” Serve it alongside my grilled tempeh for a super satisfying vegan cookout meal.
I used a mix of arugula and basil for the pesto greens and it turned out so delicious. Just a hint of spicy arugula along with that classic basil pesto flavor. I also add a spoonful of capers for a little secret flavor boost.
Depending on how many vegetables you decide to include, this recipe hovers around ten core ingredients. Ready in the amount of time it takes the vegetables to roast, so about 30 minutes. I used a summery mix of yellow zucchini, Japanese eggplant, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and red onion. Use whatever you have, but remember to allot an appropriate amount of time to roast denser vegetables like carrots.
I like to add chickpeas for an extra bit of satiating texture. You could easily leave them out or substitute with cooked lentils or white beans. Adding some sort of legume helps move this pesto orzo salad into main course territory.
Pesto Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables & Chickpeas
Ingredients
Vegan Arugula Basil Pesto Dressing
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- ¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 cup arugula, lightly packed (plus extra for garnish)
- 1 cup basil leaves, lightly packed (plus extra for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon light miso (I used chickpea)
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
Orzo & Roasted Vegetables
- 1 small eggplant, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium zucchini, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 bell pepper, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 small red onion, diced into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ lb dry orzo pasta
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Equipment
- Food Processor
Notes
- If you don’t have sunflower seeds around, this pesto is flexible. Use an equal amount of toasted pumpkin seeds, walnuts, sliced almonds, or even hemp seeds!
- I have been preferring the umami characteristics of miso in sauces like this lately (as opposed to nutritional yeast). Feel free to add nutritional yeast if you
- like though! One tablespoon would be great here.
- You need 6 cups total of chopped vegetables (including the whole cherry tomatoes). I recommend using what you have and like!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make the pesto. In a food processor fitted with the “S” blade, add the garlic, sunflower seeds, and capers. Pulse a few times to finely chop. Then, to the food processor bowl, add the arugula, basil, lemon juice, miso, salt, and pepper. Pulse the mixture a few times until the greens are finely chopped. Then, with the lid on and the motor running on low, slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube until you have a smooth paste that’s evenly combined. Check the pesto for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Set aside.
- Roast the vegetables. Combine the chopped eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, and whole cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet. Drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil and season very generously with salt and pepper. Toss to thoroughly coat all of the vegetables in oil and seasoning. Spread the vegetables out into a single layer and roast in the oven until tender and slightly browned on the edges, about 30 minutes. Check on the vegetables at the halfway point and give them a stir with a spatula. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Cook the orzo according to package directions and drain. Add the cooked orzo to a large serving bowl and immediately dress with the pesto. Once all of the pesto is coated, spread it out in the serving bowl. Top the dressed orzo with the roasted vegetables and chickpeas and give it another light toss.
- Top the pesto orzo salad with some extra basil, arugula, and toasted sunflower seeds. Serve immediately.
Made this tonight for our evening meal, only thing I can’t get in the shops in the UK is chickpea miso, so used nutritional yeast. But it was delicious non the less. Is the pesto freezable?
Thankyou for this delicious recipe will definitely be making it again!!
You can freeze the pesto! I like to put a little film of olive oil on top to preserve the color.
-L
Hi there,
Can I make this in advance and could this be serve as a ‘cold’ salad?
Many thanks x
Hi Gigi!
Yes, you can make this in advance and serve it cold. The green colour of the dressing will fade a bit if you do this though.
-L
This turned out very well! The pesto dressing was especially delicious. The only change I made to the recipe was substituting 1.5 tsp soy sauce for the miso, as I did not have any miso on hand. Next time I might add an additional cup of roasted veg, just to bulk it out a bit. I also added the entire can of chickpeas (which was approx 1.5c rather than the suggested 1c). All in all, really nice as written and I would definitely make again.
Made this tonight. So good.
This is a must make recipe! The pesto is *chef’s kiss*, the roasted vegetables add the best balance of flavor and texture and the perfect al dente bite from the orzo just put the entire thing over the top! This is going to make great leftovers for the week as I kept the remaining fresh arugula separate from the pasta and roasted vegetables. Can’t wait to dig in again tomorrow!
Delicious!! I love the note that suggests substitutions. I used black beans as they were on hand, and pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds. Next time I’ll add some different veggies too. I’m thinking cauliflower, green peas, yam…
This was absolutely delicious! The pesto in particular had such a bright, fresh flavor that I was literally eating spoonfuls of it before I added in the orzo. Such a filling meal, and packed with veggies and flavor. Thank you for another fantastic recipe!
Made this for dinner last night. Used walnuts instead of sunflower seeds in the pesto since I didn’t have any on hand. Flavors were all amazing. Taste is so rich, but meal itself is very light. Definitely a keeper and will be making again.
Thanks for letting us know that this recipe also works with walnuts, Jennifer! Appreciate your comment and the review so much.
-L
Recipes like this make me know that I can go totally plant-based! It is incredible!! I struggled to not eat it all in one day!
This Pesto is AMAZING!!!! And what I like about it is that it holds the flavour the next day. I bought it as a dip to a dinner party. There was a chef there and he kept raving about it and wanted the recipe!!
I have never made or tasted orzo !! I can’t wait to try this recipe ✨ I hope I can find orzo at the store
This recipe is totally delicious- one of the best meals I have made all summer! You can prep the veggies the night before to save time. I did not have orzo, so used red organic rice and it added color and texture. Any grain will do.
I’m going to try tonight with Israeli couscous and will report back. Looks gorgeous!
I Love that idea, Lori! Do let us know how it works out :)
-L
This was FANTASTIC! I grow basil and couldn’t be happier with the pesto sauce. I did not put in the chickpeas and it was still very filling and wonderful….. thank you for a delicious dish.
Made this tonight, a hit with all! Love the summer harvest flavours, easy to throw together and pretty on the plate ☺️
Looking Good Mmm yum can’t wait mmmm ☀️⭐