Pesto shrimp orzo is a simple, flavorful, creamy meal that’s prepared in simply 20 minutes with 4 fundamental 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 additionally good to feed a crowd.
If you happen to love fast and straightforward 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 facet for a easy meal.
Recipe highlights
- 4 elements
- 20 minutes
- Straightforward to make
- Attention-grabbing meal
- Nice for busy weeknights
- Versatile
Substances
- Orzo – this small pasta seems like rice however it’s pasta. Typically discovering a gluten free orzo will be robust, so you might additionally use gluten free pasta.
- Pesto – use your favourite pesto or make your personal.
- Shrimp – I like to make use of massive Argentinian Pink Shrimp from Dealer Joe’s. I like this as a result of it’s peeled and deveined. Make sure you permit the shrimp to defrost fully earlier than cooking.
- Tomatoes – I like including tomatoes to any dish with pesto. It’s a terrific pop of shade 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 keeping with the bundle instructions.
Cook dinner the shrimp. Warmth a medium to massive 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 nicely. Add extra pasta water if wanted.
High suggestions
- Make this with shrimp, rooster, chickpeas or salmon.
- Use retailer purchased pesto to make this tremendous easy. In case you have an extra quantity of basil at residence, make your personal pesto!
- To save lots of time, remember to purchase peeled, deveined shrimp. I all the time purchase frozen and defrost in beneath an hour or in a single day (if you happen to keep in mind to defrost the evening earlier than).
- If you happen to neglect to defrost your shrimp, you’ll be able to cook dinner frozen shrimp in 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 should use cooked rooster (diced rooster or shredded rooster), 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 brief and resembles rice. Till lately, there weren’t a ton of gluten free choices. Nevertheless, I’ve discovered 2 actually scrumptious gluten free choices:
Can you employ home made pesto
Sure! In case you have an abundance of basil and would like to make use of home made, use your favourite recipe or you’ll be able to strive:
What if you happen to don’t have orzo?
If you happen to don’t have orzo pasta, you should use rice, pasta, spaghetti squash, or cauliflower rice.
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- 1 pound massive 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
Deliver water to a boil, cook dinner orzo in keeping with the bundle instructions.
Whereas orzo is cooking, cook dinner the shrimp. Warmth a medium to massive 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 nicely. Add extra pasta water if wanted.
Serve scorching or at room temperature.
- Make this with shrimp, rooster, chickpeas or salmon.
- Use retailer purchased or home made pesto.
- To save lots of time, remember to purchase peeled, deveined shrimp. If frozen, defrost in beneath an hour or in a single day.
- If you happen to neglect to defrost your shrimp, you’ll be able to cook dinner frozen shrimp in the air fryer.
- Fridge: Retailer leftover shrimp orzo pesto pasta within the fridge for as much as 3 days in an hermetic container.
- Freezer: You may freeze leftovers in a freezer protected container, nevertheless I don’t love the feel of the shrimp when frozen and defrosted after being cooked.
Vitamin Info
Vitamin Information
Quantity per Serving
The place does vitamin data come from? Vitamin details are offered as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Meals Database.
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