Orzo Pasta with Tomatoes and Parmesan

This easy orzo pasta recipe requires only a few fresh ingredients and comes together in under 20 minutes. You’ll love its fresh flavors of tomatoes, basil, parmesan, and plenty of garlic.

Watch the Video

Orzo is a small, flat, oval-shaped pasta that takes little cooking time. We love it and have already shared our lemon orzo pasta salad.

My family loves this fast and easy orzo dinner, and I can’t wait for you to try it.

Key Ingredients

• Orzo pasta: I love orzo for this recipe, but you can use any dried pasta. This recipe is also delicious when made with couscous or rice!
• Olive oil: The base of our sauce. Use a good-quality olive oil that you enjoy.
• Garlic: I use lots of fresh garlic for this recipe and love it.
• Tomatoes: It’s the tomatoes that are the star. Fresh tomatoes are best, but you can make this with canned tomatoes if needed. When using canned tomatoes, I like opening a can of whole tomatoes and tearing them into the sauce.
• Parmesan cheese: This makes our pasta sauce creamy and delicious. For vegetarian orzo pasta, use vegetarian-friendly parmesan or substitute it with your favorite vegetarian cheese.
• Basil: Fresh basil is best and works so nicely with tomatoes and parmesan. I tear fresh basil leaves into the sauce and serve with more on top.

How to Make Orzo Pasta with Tomatoes, Basil and Parmesan

Orzo is easy to cook (it’s just like cooking other pasta). Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil, add the orzo, and cook until done, usually 8 to 10 minutes. Since the size of the pasta can vary from brand to brand, check the package to see the recommended cooking time for the pasta you purchased.

While your pasta cooks, you can prepare the sauce. It’s easy. Start with the olive oil and garlic. When the garlic is fragrant, stir in the tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese, and cooked orzo. The tomatoes cook down and release their juices, which mix with the cheese to create our delicious sauce.

Add a splash of pasta cooking water, and let everything cook away until the starch in the water begins to thicken the sauce made from the tomatoes and olive oil. The whole process takes less than 5 minutes. Plus, that splash of cooking water helps turn our pan sauce into a velvety sauce that coats the orzo.

What to Serve with Orzo Pasta

I’m happy to enjoy a big bowl of this pasta all by itself. It’s also an excellent base for protein or roasted vegetables. Chicken is classic. Try grilled chicken or these baked chicken breasts with tomatoes, basil, and garlic. A light fish or shrimp is lovely. I especially love this roasted shrimp. Or add meatballs. We have a few recipes on the blog, but I turn the most to these simple homemade meatballs.

Veggies are lovely, too. Try roasted broccoli or roasted broccolini. I also love a side of sautéed greens, like this sautéed spinach or cabbage. And I love a light, fresh salad. Toss your favorite greens into a bowl and drizzle over this homemade balsamic dressing or honey mustard.