Pesto shrimp orzo is a simple, flavorful, creamy meal that’s prepared in simply 20 minutes with 4 primary elements. This orzo pasta is coated with pesto and paired with plump shrimp and tomatoes for a easy weeknight dinner. Excellent for weekday meals but additionally 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 this Pesto Chicken Skillet with rice or pasta on the aspect for a easy meal.
Recipe highlights
- 4 elements
- 20 minutes
- Straightforward to make
- Eye-catching meal
- Nice for busy weeknights
- Versatile
Components
- Orzo – this small pasta appears to be like like rice but it surely’s pasta. Typically discovering a gluten free orzo might be robust, so you can additionally use gluten free pasta.
- Pesto – use your favourite pesto or make your individual.
- 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. You’ll want to permit the shrimp to defrost utterly earlier than cooking.
- Tomatoes – I like including tomatoes to any dish with pesto. It’s an important pop of colour and the flavors pair completely.
The best way to make pesto orzo with shrimp
Cook dinner orzo: Convey 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 scorching, 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.
Reduce tomatoes in half.
Reserve pasta water: When orzo is finished 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 effectively. Add extra pasta water if wanted.
High ideas
- Make this with shrimp, hen, chickpeas or salmon.
- Use retailer purchased pesto to make this tremendous easy. In case you have an extra quantity of basil at dwelling, make your individual pesto!
- To avoid wasting time, make sure to 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 keep in mind to defrost the night time earlier than).
- When you neglect to defrost your shrimp, you may cook dinner frozen shrimp in the air fryer.
Variations
- Add extra veggies: Add cooked zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, asparagus, roasted pink peppers, child spinach, kale, artichoke hearts
- Spice: Add crushed pink pepper flakes
- Different protein: You should 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 lately, there weren’t a ton of gluten free choices. Nonetheless, I’ve discovered 2 actually scrumptious gluten free choices:
Can you utilize selfmade pesto
Sure! In case you 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
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 oz orzo
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes – minimize in half
- 1/4 cup pasta water
Convey 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 scorching, 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.
Reduce tomatoes in half.
When orzo is finished 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 effectively. Add extra pasta water if wanted.
Serve scorching or at room temperature.
- Make this with shrimp, hen, chickpeas or salmon.
- Use retailer purchased or selfmade pesto.
- To avoid wasting time, make sure to purchase peeled, deveined shrimp. If frozen, defrost in beneath an hour or in a single day.
- When you neglect to defrost your shrimp, you may cook dinner frozen shrimp in 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 protected 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 details are offered as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Meals Database.
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