Pesto Shrimp Orzo – Bites of Wellness

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. Good for weekday meals but additionally excellent to feed a crowd.

If you happen to love fast and straightforward recipes like this, it’s best to attempt my Pesto Tuna Pasta recipe or do this Pesto Rooster 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 seems to be like rice however it’s pasta. Typically discovering a gluten free orzo may be robust, so you might 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. Remember to enable the shrimp to defrost fully earlier than cooking.
• Tomatoes – I like including tomatoes to any dish with pesto. It’s an awesome pop of coloration and the flavors pair completely.

Methods to make pesto orzo with shrimp

Cook dinner orzo: Carry water to a boil, prepare dinner orzo in keeping with the bundle instructions.

Cook dinner the shrimp. Warmth a medium to giant skillet over medium warmth. When sizzling, spray with avocado oil (or olive oil) and add shrimp, salt and garlic powder. Cook dinner 2-3 minutes, flip and prepare dinner 1-2 extra minutes. Flip off warmth.

Minimize tomatoes in half.

Reserve pasta water: When orzo is completed 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 suggestions

• Make this with shrimp, hen, chickpeas or salmon.
• Use retailer purchased pesto to make this tremendous easy. When you’ve got an extra quantity of basil at dwelling, make your individual pesto!
• To save lots of time, make sure you purchase peeled, deveined shrimp. I all the time purchase frozen and defrost in underneath an hour or in a single day (should you keep in mind to defrost the night time earlier than).
• If you happen to neglect to defrost your shrimp, you’ll be able to prepare dinner frozen shrimp within 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 utilize cooked hen (diced hen or shredded hen), chickpeas, Italian tofu or salmon bites.

What to serve with pesto orzo

Widespread questions

The place to seek out gluten free orzo

Orzo is pasta that’s cooked quick and resembles rice. Till not too long ago, there weren’t a ton of gluten free choices. Nonetheless, I’ve discovered 2 actually scrumptious gluten free choices:

Can you employ selfmade pesto

Sure! When you’ve got an abundance of basil and would like to make use of selfmade, use your favourite recipe or you’ll be able to attempt:

What should you don’t have orzo?

If you happen to don’t have orzo pasta, you should utilize rice, pasta, spaghetti squash, or cauliflower rice.