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Monday, January 12, 2009

Orzo Caprese Salad

When I find something I really like, I can eat it regularly for quite a while before getting tired of it. It always helps when it's a really simple dish as well. Ever since my first caprese salad, I've had regular cravings for tomatoes, bocconcchini cheese and basil. It reappeared at my cousin's bar mitzvah (for which Giz and I catered) and for a combined Rosh Hashanah/Canadian Thanksgiving meal.

So, why stop there? After my initial caprese salad posting, Melissa recommended Krysta's pasta version. I opted for orzo instead and added some of my frozen pesto (Well - it's pesto that I froze. Don't worry it was thawed for the meal).

Recipe

approx 1.5 cups of orzo pasta
3 plum tomatoes
container of mini bocconcchini
fresh basil (from this plant, that hates my guts right now)
approximately 1/2-2/3 of a cup of pesto

The result:


So good. Now I want some more.

This post is going to Ivy at Kopiaste who is hosting this week's Presto Pasta Nights.

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23 comments:

  1. JuliaJanuary 12, 2009 at 8:46 PM

    That looks great! I've been doing the same thing -- using up my frozen basil with pasta, and adding some of my canned summer tomatoes. It's a great burst of summer sunshine, isn't it?

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  2. glamah16January 12, 2009 at 10:10 PM

    Love orzo. Love caprese ingrediants. Winning combo.

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  3. What's Cookin ChicagoJanuary 12, 2009 at 10:11 PM

    Looks fabulous and I've always loved the flavors of caprese salad!

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  4. IvyJanuary 13, 2009 at 12:00 AM

    The combination sounds fantastic. I don't think I can get bocconcini in Greece but I will google search it to see how this may substituted as I can imagine the combination of all those ingredients. Thanks for participating at PPN.

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  5. DharmJanuary 13, 2009 at 5:00 AM

    Looks super! It appears that so many of us are already bombarding Ivy with Pasta recipes! Have never, ever had Orzo before... perhaps I should start looking for it in the supermarket.

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  6. CakelawJanuary 13, 2009 at 5:35 AM

    Yum! This reminds me of the starter that I had on Sunday night at a friend's house - just fresh sliced tomatoes and buffalo mozarella topped with olive oil and oregano - Mwah!

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  7. graceJanuary 13, 2009 at 7:12 AM

    i'm becoming a huge fan of orzo--it's just so easy to eat, and the texture is quite unique. great salad, and it would've been even if the pesto was unthawed. ;)

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  8. HopieJanuary 13, 2009 at 8:05 AM

    I definitely agree about caprese salad! I'll have to try the pasta version...

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  9. Ruth DanielsJanuary 13, 2009 at 9:36 AM

    Fabulous dish and perfect for parties of any size...including dinner for one. Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

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  10. katJanuary 13, 2009 at 9:40 AM

    What a beautiful tasty sounding salad

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  11. RecipeGirlJanuary 13, 2009 at 10:13 AM

    Nice combo. I love orzo, and you sure can't go wrong when you add caprese-style ingredients to it!

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  12. That GirlJanuary 13, 2009 at 3:12 PM

    I love caprese salad, and I've just recently discovered orzo in 2008 - can't wait to combine them!

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  13. BunnyJanuary 13, 2009 at 7:27 PM

    I'm already thinking "spring"! This looks so good, tomatoes are my favorite vegetable, I can just imagine how good this is.

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  14. DeeJanuary 13, 2009 at 7:34 PM

    My favourite pastas are the simple ones like this.
    Congratulations on your engagement, Psychgrad!

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  15. pamJanuary 13, 2009 at 7:57 PM

    What a fabulous idea! I love caprese salad and I love pasta...perfect!

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  16. PatsykJanuary 13, 2009 at 8:48 PM

    That is something I would eat every day for lunch if I made it... gonna have to make sure I get the ingredients. YUM!

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  17. test it commJanuary 13, 2009 at 9:24 PM

    I like the sound of the alternative caprese salad.

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  18. AnonymousJanuary 14, 2009 at 1:10 AM

    It looks awesome...wow...it's like the perfect marriage.

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  19. Darius T. WilliamsJanuary 14, 2009 at 7:53 AM

    I absolutely love it...did I say love it? Because that's what I mean right now....really! Such innovation.

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  20. Valerie Harrison (bellini)January 14, 2009 at 9:51 AM

    This is such a refreshing salad Psychgrad. I love the combination of orzo and pesto..well the mozzarella and tomatoes too:D

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  21. Proud Italian CookJanuary 14, 2009 at 11:25 AM

    It's morning, and totally freezing here in Chicagoland, and I now want this for breakfast! We were on the same wave length for sure with caprese combinations. Always a winner summer or winter!

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  22. MelissaJanuary 14, 2009 at 3:40 PM

    Krysta nailed this one didn't she?? I can't wait to start eating this again, I was just thinking of it the other day. I HAVE to try adding pesto in. Jeez, that's like icing on the already iced cake, Psychgrad. AWESOME hahaha.

    I am so glad you loved this/posted this/submitted this to PPN. Yes!

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  23. AnonymousFebruary 19, 2009 at 12:57 AM

    Hello! As I was browsing blogs looking for a great orzo recipe, I was immediately intrigued by yours! I absolutely love caprese salad and adding orzo is a great idea! A caprese salad definitely makes me think of summer/spring and this recipe sounds great for a summertime bbq with friends. Fresh basil, rather than dried, would certainly make a huge difference in this recipe. I've always wanted to try making my own pesto and I'm excited to try out your recipe. Thanks you for providing this! I'm also looking forward to trying bocconcchini. Is it pretty much the same as mozzarella? I think some olives in this recipe would be delicious also! I recently created an orzo and shrimp salad recipe that is featured on my blog. Check it out! Thanks again!

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