Sun-dried tomatoes and orzo pasta come together to make a delicious, one-pan recipe that your family is sure to devour for dinner!
Jump to RecipeHave you ever tried orzo pasta? I’ve only had it a few times and really liked it, but didn’t have any recipes for it. I bought a box and figured we would go from there. I searched online for some ideas for orzo recipes, and found a few that looked promising, and, as I usually do, just threw something together based on what I had similar to the recipes.
This recipe was entered in a contest for the brand of sun-dried tomatoes that I usually buy, but there were so many great entries that mine was not one of the top three. Oh well, it’s still a winner in my house.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Basil in Orzo Pasta Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 8 oz dry orzo pasta
- 2 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped in a food processor)
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh basil
- Pepper

Preparation
Start by heating the oil in a large saucepan and mince the garlic to add to the pan. Cook the garlic until it has turned brown, stirring frequently so that it doesn’t burn.
Once the garlic is brown and fragrant, add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. If you want something vegetarian, you can also use vegetable broth here instead of chicken broth.

While the broth is boiling, add the orzo pasta in and return everything to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pan, letting the orzo simmer for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, uncover and stir. Boil for about another 5 minutes, or until the orzo is tender. Remove the orzo from the heat and stir the parmesan cheese into the pasta until it has fully melted.

Add the sun-dried tomatoes and the basil, stirring to combine. Add in some pepper, to taste, and give it one last stir before serving.

I like to add a little more parmesan cheese on top for garnish along with a sprig of fresh basil.


Recipe
Originally Published On: October 15, 2017
Last Updated On: January 21, 2023

Sun-Dried Tomato Basil Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 8 oz dry orzo pasta
- 2 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped in food processor)
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh basil
- Pepper
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in sauce pan over medium-high heat
- Once shimmering, add garlic and saute until lightly golden, then pour in chicken broth
- Bring broth to a boil, then add orzo pasta
- Reduce heat to medium and cover
- Allow to gently boil 5 minutes, then uncover
- Stir and continue to boil uncovered until orzo is tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Remove from heat and add in parmesan cheese and stir until melted
- Toss in sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and season with pepper as desired
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Do believe I have everything on hand to make this pasta dish. So glad I sun dried some tomatoes last year.
I would love to have some fresh sun-dried tomatoes! We don’t get enough in our garden yet but we may next season.
YUM!!! If it weren’t for your blog and the amazing recipes you share, my family would be eating tacos and spaghetti every night! haha 🙂
I never thought about adding sundried tomatoes to my orzo recipe. I will give it a try on Sunday. I like the presentation.
The sun-dried tomatoes definitely add a lot of flavor to the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
Hah, tacos and spaghetti are great dinners but can get old after a while.
I have never made anything with orzo. I want to make this though. It looks so good.
Orzo is wonderful, you should give it a try. It has the texture of pasta but is as versatile as rice since it’s the same size.
I haven’t had orzo in ages. This sounds so yummy and I might have to do it for dinner!
I’ve found so many ways to use orzo lately. It’s become my favorite pasta.
This looks great my family loves pasta especially my daughter. Adding these ingredients to my grocery list.
We do too. This makes a great side or main for the littles since they don’t tend to eat as much as we do.
This looks great and easily veganized for me. I love that it’s one pot too!
Yes, you could easily make this a vegan meal, too. We love one-pot recipes, less to clean later!
Yummy! This looks perfect. I am hungry just reading your post! Definitely going to make this recipe!
It makes a wonderful side dish to many meals, or you could eat it on its own as I do sometimes when I’m looking for a smaller meal.
oh i LOVE sun-dried tomatoes with basil! this is such a delicious and refreshing recipe!!
They work so well together! It goes great with the orzo pasta as a base in this recipe.
I have never cooked orzo before but I have always wanted to. I do love the idea of a one pan meal though. So nice to just cook everything all at once.
Orzo is interesting because you cook it like pasta, and it has the texture of pasta, but is the size of rice. It’s one of my favorite types of pasta, definitely worth a try for you!
I am a huge fan of orzo dishes! This looks like it is so delicious.
Orzo is such a great pasta to work with.
It seems delicious, I never tested orzo pasta before. Hope, it would help me to make it experience. Thanks for sharing such a delicious dish.
Orzo is one of my favorite types of pasta now. You should definitely give it a try if you get a chance!
Yummy, I love sun dried tomatoes. I will have to try this recipe. Although I have never tried Orzo, I will give this a try.
The orzo is a perfect base for the recipe. It has the texture and taste of pasta, but the size and shape of rice so everything mixes really well with it.
oh this looks so so delicious and it is very easy to make. I will try to do it soon. Thanks a lot.
The recipe is very easy to throw together, and since it’s in one pot the cleanup is easy, too!
Great step by step recipe and pictures! The sun-dried tomatoes and orzo pasta make a delicious, one-pan recipe that my family will love for dinner!
Thank you! I find having the step by step photos helps those who are visual learners like myself.
My family and I never tried Basil in Orzo Pasta. It sure looks delicious and would like to make it for them.
I hope your family enjoys the dish! It’s so easy to put together and has a lot of flavors packed into it.
I have yet to try orzo, and have been wanting to. Now I have the perfect recipe to compliment it! Thank you!!
Orzo is my favorite pasta, you should definitely give it a try! This recipe is a great side dish, and if you search my website for orzo you’ll find some main meals with it, too.
This looks heavenly! The perfect comfort food. I”ll have to give it a try. If orzo is not available, is there any other type of pasta, I can sub it with?
If you can’t find orzo, I would try another similarly shaped pasta, such as Risi if you can find that. If not, I would try some macaroni noodles since they are small.
Such a perfect summer meal! I love orzo and this sounds so good and refreshing! Especially with this heat its so hard to figure out what to make.
The summer heat is no joke! Since this is only one pan, you don’t have the stove on for long, either.
Oh I like the idea of cooking it in the chicken broth, that would add great flavor. I love orzo but haven’t really played with how to make it yet!
The chicken broth does add a lot of flavor instead of just plain water. I’ve made a lot of meals lately with orzo since it’s my favorite. If you search you can find quite a few ideas for meals.
Oh, this sounds just fabulous! I really like the idea of using chicken broth instead of water too. I also love sun-dried tomatoes, can’t wait to try this dish!!
I wouldn’t do it in every recipe, since it depends on the end-flavor you want, but the chicken broth works really well for this one.
This looks so good! Sundries tomatoes are something I love but for some reason rarely use at home. I can’t wait to try this recipe and change that!
I don’t use them too often, either. I have a few recipes with them and always enjoy the punch of flavor they add to a meal.
Ooo this looks like a little pot of yumminess. This will be ideal for my Spanish tapas night. Thank you so much!! xx
This would be perfect to go with something like that! And it’s so easy to make, too.
This sun-dried dish looks amazing. I love a good recipe to serve the family.
It’s great as either a side or a light main dish. The tomatoes give a lot of flavor to the pasta.