This tomato basil baked orzo is made in one pan with super simple ingredients and might just be your new favorite weeknight dinner. I originally made it with my fav brand of tuna, and all of my boys (Tony included) gobbled it all up.
I mean, tender pasta, saucy goodness, fresh basil, and melty cheese — what more could you ask for? I think it would be wonderful with any of your fav proteins mixed in, so be sure to scroll through and get some inspo. Cook this beautiful baked orzo up ASAP and enjoy!
Everything you’ll need to make this tomato basil baked orzo
This easy dinner is truly one of those clean-out-the-fridge meals that you can come back to time and time again. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Produce: we’re adding beautiful cherry tomatoes, an onion, and garlic. You’ll also get an extra boost of veggies by stirring in 2 full cups of spinach!
- Olive oil: you’ll need a little olive oil to cook down the veggies.
- Sauce: feel free to use your favorite store bought basil pesto and tomato basil sauce in this recipe. If you’re feeling adventurous, try my Cilantro Pistachio Pesto and my Homemade Tomato Sauce!
- Orzo: this baked orzo recipe, of course, needs orzo! You’ll cook it right in the same pan with the sauces and a little water or broth.
- Herbs & spices: you’ll need salt, Italian seasoning, and fresh basil for garnishing.
- Cheese: can’t forget about that gooey cheese! We’re mixing shredded mozzarella right into the pasta and then adding more on top to get nice and melted.
Add your favorite protein
When I first made this baked orzo I stirred in a can of my favorite tuna to give it a delicious boost of protein. The kiddos still gobbled it up! This recipe would also be perfect with:
- Cooked, cubed, or shredded chicken (a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken!)
- Ground Italian pork or turkey sausage
- Sliced chicken sausage
- A can of your favorite tuna!
Simply cook your protein of choice and stir it in after you fold in the orzo.
Can I make it gluten-free or dairy-free?
- To make gluten-free: simply use gluten-free orzo or your favorite gluten-free short pasta.
- To make dairy-free: use a dairy-free cheese that melts well, and then make sure your pesto is also dairy-free.
Go veggie-heavy
Along with the tomatoes and spinach, you could also add tons of different vegetables to really make this dish your own. Feel free to cook some bell pepper, zucchini, or even mushrooms with the tomatoes and enjoy a veggie-packed pasta!
One pan baked orzo in 5 easy steps
- Make the sauce. Start by cooking down the onion, tomatoes, and garlic in an oven-proof skillet or braiser in a little olive oil and salt until the tomatoes break down. Stir in the spinach, pesto, tomato sauce, and broth or water.
- Bake the pasta. Stir the orzo right into the pan with more salt and Italian seasoning, plus any extra protein if you’d like, then bake it all at 400 degrees until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the pasta is cooked.
- Cheese it up. Remove the pan from the oven, stir in half of the cheese, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake the pasta again until the cheese is melted. Finish it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to get nice and golden brown.
- Garnish & serve. Finally, top the dish with fresh basil and red pepper flakes and devour!
Storing tips
You can store any leftover tomato basil baked orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Simply reheat in the microwave.
More pasta recipes you’ll love
- One Pan Lightened Up Hamburger Helper
- Cheesy Tuna Orzo Skillet
- Creamy Sweet Corn & Brown Butter Ricotta Pasta
- Pesto Mushroom Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups
- Zucchini & Sausage Baked Orzo with Hot Honey & Feta
Get all of my pasta recipes here!
I hope you love this one pan tomato basil baked orzo! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
One Pan Tomato Basil Baked Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups spinach, chopped
- ¼ cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 cup tomato basil sauce (or your favorite pasta sauce)
- 2 ½ cups water or broth
- 1 pound orzo
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- Fresh julienned basil, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large oven-safe skillet, warm oil over medium heat. Add the onion, tomatoes, garlic, and salt and saute until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, 10 minutes. Stir in the spinach, pesto, tomato basil sauce, water/broth and mix until well combined. Next, add the orzo, salt, and italian seasoning and stir until well combined.
- Bake uncovered until the liquid is mostly absorbed and pasta is cooked though, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and stir ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese into the orzo. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese on top. Place the skillet back in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, 5 minutes. Switch oven to the broiler, and broil until the cheese is slightly golden in places, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on September 18th, 2023, and republished on April 27th, 2026.
Cant wait to make this soon for me i love pesto sooooooooooooo much i never had one pan tomato basil baked orzo before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Enjoy!
This was delicious! Perfect for a fall evening. I did add Italian sausage which was a great protein addition. I also made my own basil pesto and sauce. The best part about this recipe is my 7 and 4 year old loved it! I always get the best family friendly meals from you. I will absolutely make this again!
So good, Stephanie. Glad to hear this recipe was a hit for the whole family!
Can’t wait to try the orzo dish
Hope you love it!
This was such an easy recipe and oh so yummy! My family enjoyed it immensely. I can’t wait to make it again!
Amazing! Glad you gave this recipe a try and it turned out great for you!
The recipe was delicious but it took much longer than 12 minutes for my orzo to cook in the oven!
So sorry to hear that – there are always different factors that could’ve caused that i.e rack you baked it on, thickness of pan, etc. Glad you enjoyed it though.
I was hoping to make and/or prep this ahead. Does it reheat well or do you think I am better off making it up until adding the cheese and then next day adding the cheese and baking for 5-10 minutes more?
I haven’t tried it, but I am sure it will reheat well. Let me know if you give this a try!
I froze this in individual serving containers and it was still amazing!
This was phenomenal!! I used RightRice (a chickpea lentil rice) and added 2 cans of tuna. My husband and I are both really looking forward to eating the leftovers tomorrow.
Amazing! I am so glad you are both loving this recipe and it turned out great for you ❤️
This was outstanding! So easy to throw together, and so delicious. I added Italian style veggie meatballs. It was a hit with my 2 year old as well. Next time I may try adding mushrooms to get another vegetable in. This will be in our regular rotation for sure.
Ahh this makes me so happy to hear, Melissa. I am so glad your loving this recipe and it turned out amazing for you and the family, Melissa!
This was good but i ended up needing the whole jar of tomato sauce and extra water for the orzo to be cooked… i dont think 12 mins is correct at all or the amount of liquid for a whole pound of orzo, nonetheless the flavor was really good
Oh no, sorry you had an issue. It is correct! I make this often, but if you need more liquid feel free to add. It is 12 minutes, plus the additional 5 minutes in the oven for the cheese, about about 17-20 minutes total, which is plenty of time.
I swapped the cherry tomatoes for roasted red peppers. Next time I may play with the pesto to pasta sauce ratio. Overall, great dish!
Sounds amazing! Glad this recipe turned out great for you and you are enjoying it!
This is such a versatile recipe! I added protein (sausage frozen that was left over from another meal) and added additional veggies. Everyone enjoyed! Thank you! This one will be on a regular rotation.
Yay! So glad this recipe is a hit for everyone, Erin 🙂
Loved this! But I love all of Monique’s recipes! I used chickpea orzo and it worked great! I may add 1/4 c more of pesto next time bc I love pesto so much.
Sounds delicious! Glad to hear you’re loving this recipe and it turned out amazing for you!
What a yummy comfort meal! I bought the spicy Italian sausage from Trader Joe’s to add in here and it was a bit too spicy — but I loved that + basil and pesto flavors. Couldn’t have been easier to make! I did question my conversion skills with 1 pound of orzo.. went with a cup and a half and it was chefs kiss. Spinach was a perfect add!
YUM! This makes me so happy to hear. Glad this recipe turned out delicious for you!
Delicious! Tastes indulgent AND nutritious.
So delicious and easy! I added some spicy Italian sausage for extra protein and ended up cooking this with the onion and garlic in the first step. I moved everything over to a 9×13 pan because I ran out of space for all the ingredients in my skillet and cooked the orzo for close to 30 minutes with an extra cup half cup of tomato basil sauce and half cup water. The basil, in my opinion, is a must. So yummy! Adding it to my weekly rotation. Thank you as always
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
Loved it! Protein-packed and full of flavor.
One of our fav dinners, too!
So excited to try your recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Happy to share! I hope you find some that you love!
Hi, this delicious but I’m not sure on the ratios. We don’t use pounds in New Zealand, so I googled 1 pound of orzo and it said 453 grams. I added this much but there was no where near enough liquid to cook the orzo. I ended up adding a further cup of tomato pasta sauce and a further 1/2 cup of water. Did I do something wrong with the orzo?
As a side note- using grams or cups instead of or as well pounds etc would be sooooo helpful!!!
Hi Larissa! We don’t yet have conversions available on our site but are working on it! That conversion should be correct along with the listed 3 1/2 cups of liquid (broth and sauce). It might help to check out the video to see how much liquid I have in the pan once added in!
I don’t know why I haven’t made this dish sooner. It truly is a perfect weeknight meal. Super easy and delicious. I didn’t have pesto on hand, so I just added a little extra tomato-basil sauce… I can imagine how incredible it would’ve been with the pesto!! I had to cook it a little longer in the oven because of the orzo being a little undercooked. My toddler devoured this! Thanks so much!! 🙂
So glad you gave this one a try! One of our new fav weeknight meals, too 🙂
I’ve tried a number of tomato and orzo recipes and always been disappointed with how bland they were. I think the pesto in this one made the difference! Also loved the suggestion to add ground Italian sausage. I was eating the leftovers of this one for 6 days straight and still looked forward to it every night! Definitely adding it to my rotation.
So glad you gave this one a try! The pesto adds a lovely flavor to it.
Very tasty, very easy to put together. I think next time I will add more tomatoes, spinach, and maybe some other veggies. The Hubs had two servings, a ringing endorsement!
Amazing! This one’s great for adding extra veggies, too 🙂
This is SO. STINKING. DELICIOUS! I am utterly obsessed. I followed exactly as suggested but added a bit of time in oven bc my orzo wasn’t quite done. I particularly love this bc it comes together very quickly so it’s a great weekday meal. I will certainly be making this regularly! Yum!!!!
Amazing! So glad you loved it!
The tomatoes alone look amazing! Such a convenient dish to try. I don’t make orzo often and it is nice to have a quick dish for busy nights.
One of my new favs, too!
My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe. I added ground chicken with extra italian seasoning to the onion/tomato saute for some protein. I also had to transfer to a 9×13 baking pan because the skillet pan got too full. I ended up using an entire jar of tomato sauce and extra splashes of water because while this was cooking in the oven, the orzo would absorb all the liquid and still not be fully cooked. I probably had to have this in the oven for at least 30-40 minutes. But the taste was great and I would make again knowing it will take much longer than 12 minutes in the oven.
Hmm strange to hear about needing the extra liquid, but I’m glad it was a hit regardless!
We have made this a few times. Very versatile and always a hit! Thank you!
This was very easy, and very yummy. I used GF orzo and it came out great. My 9 year-old was a fan.
Perfect! So happy to hear that 🙂
It wasn’t hard & it had so much flavor!
One of our new fav dinners!
I’m excited to try this-looks like ALL my favorite flavors in one pan! Question though-if I don’t have an oven safe skillet, do I just transfer everything to an oven safe dish between steps 2&3? Any recommendations for pan size? Thanks
Yes, that will work! I’d recommend a 2-quart, 9×9 inch or 11×7 inch baking dish.
This is SO delicious and creamy! Next time, I might make it with slightly less cheese but it was definitely a crowd pleaser and so easy to make!
Can this be prepared ahead of time? Seems like it’s possible up to adding the cheese on top and broiling, but not sure.
Yes that will work!
Ok this was so delish, and filling, pretty quick and super easy to toss in some hidden veggies like riced cauliflower. We also added some sliced kielbasa and had a little toasted sourdough on the side and it was perfect.
Love that idea! Glad you enjoyed!
Absolutely a perfect evening meal. Added chicken. When I use Orzo, I think Greek so might try a mix of briny olives and some feta next time. This bakes up wonderfully. I had extra marinara sauce to use and used more of that in place of water/broth. I had to keep an eye on it while baking as the marinara carmelized into the pan more rapidly. Added more water as it cooked down. Still turned out great! Husband loved it.
Perfect! Great ideas to add your own twists to the recipe. Glad you both enjoyed!
I really like orzo so wanted to try this recipe. I was delighted how much I liked it and will make it again. It was delicious, very tasty and easy to make.
So glad you loved it!
I added 1/2 red pepper, diced, and about five large button mushrooms, sliced, to the diced onion, 4 cloves of garlic, and one pint of cherry tomatoes. I added a small carton of diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, and mozzarella cheese. Baked at 400 F for 10 minutes. Of course I added a little more than one cup of orzo. Transferred to large baking dish. Baked uncovered.
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂
We make this every other week! Sometimes I add chicken, sausage or a can of beans, or any veggies I have on hand, it’s a winner!
Love this!