This creamy chard pesto baked orzo has all the comfort factor you would want in colder weather with that bit of freshness, too. It has plenty of gooey cheese, but lots of healthy veg as well. Perfect for any occasion.

dish of creamy chard pesto baked orzo with spoonful sitting on top

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I don't know about anyone else, but I find these in-betweeny seasons tricky for food. It can be hard to decide what mood you are in. Do you want something light and summery to get you in the mood for the warmer weather that's (hopefully) coming? Or something more warm and comforting, that may be more fitting?

We got even more snow on Sunday making it officially the snowiest winter on record in Boston. I guess if you're going to have to put up with it (because the liking it part was a bit hard to sustain), you may as well break a record.

But I digress, back to the food. This chard pesto and mozzarella orzo bake tries to bridge that seasonal gap. It's nicely warm and comforting, but with some colors and flavors of warmer weather. It's also incredibly tasty, with oozing mozzarella, a tasty creamy sauce and the freshness of basil and lemon.

I call this a creamy chard pesto, but I really use the loosest sense of the word pesto. It's not like my more traditional arugula pesto as it has a creamier consistency and some lemon in there too. These additions make it a little smoother, and seem slightly decadent, but also fresh-tasting, too.

Either way, it's delicious and easy to make. The flavors work really well together and make a nice change to a more traditional pesto.

bowl of creamy chard pesto with chard leaf behind

How to make this comforting baked orzo

As with a typical orzo bake (like my cheesy orzo pasta bake, and other pasta bakes), the vegetables and pasta are largely cooked before it goes in the oven. The baking then helps the flavors meld, the cheese go gooey and a slight crispness form on top, but none of that takes very long.

If you wish, you can skip putting it in the oven and miss out the mozzarella to make it super-quick and a little lighter. However, you would then miss out on the delicious gooey mozzarella working its way through the dish. Personally I think the time in the oven is worth the wait, but feel free to experiment.

orzo, peso and vegetable mix in baking dish before baking

While there's a reasonable amount of cream and cheese, there's also lots of good vegetables in this orzo bake. This makes it a nice dish for sneaking them in to toddlers, or other fussier eaters, without them particularly noticing as there's lots of other yummy distractions.

Top tip: change the vegetables to taste

While I suggest adding some onion, pepper and zucchini in with the pasta, sauce and cheese, you could certainly use other vegetables based on what you have and prefer.

I recommend onion for a little added flavor and slight sweetness, but other options could include peas, diced carrot or small pieces of broccoli.

Whatever you use, I recommend pre-cooking to al-dente as they won't cook that much in with the pasta.

Overall, this orzo bake is a really tasty dish, packed with flavor and so easy to eat. It will have everyone coming back for more, and wanting it again soon.

creamy chard pesto baked orzo with spoonful sitting on top and cheese pull

Try these other comforting pasta recipes:

Bacon sun-dried tomato pasta with spinach and cream
Creamy lemon chicken pasta bake
Spicy sausage pasta skillet
Gnocchi alla Romana (semolina gnocchi so not quite pasta but close, and oh so comforting, too)
Plus get more main dishes recipes in the archives.

I use my 8in baking dish (the larger from the set linked) for this which works well (affiliate link).

whole dish view of creamy chard pesto baked orzo

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5 from 1 vote