Fresh and juicy baby tomatoes, sweet white onion and fresh summer zucchini oven roasted and mixed into al dente orzo with creamy, smooth goat cheese to finish it off. This Summer Orzo Salad with caramelized veggies is sure to be on repeat in your summer recipe rotation.
About this Salad
Pasta salad is a classic favorite. Hearty noodles with plenty of mix-ins and a tasty dressing to coat it all. Pasta Salad makes for a great side at a barbecue, a tasty lunch with some protein on top, or even as a snack all on its own.
But don’t feel restricted to penne, fusilli, or macaroni noodles in a pasta salad. Switch it up with orzo, which is a very short grain that looks similar to rice, but is actually pasta. Orzo has a lovely, soft texture and is super easy to cook as compared to risotto, which it is often mistaken for.
The orzo alone, however, isn’t the star of this Summer Orzo Salad. We’ve got oven roasted, caramelized tomatoes, quite literally bursting with juices and flavor, which are baked alongside sweet white onion and fresh garden zucchinis and mixed together with creamy, smooth goat cheese for a perfect balance of flavors.
And if you love pasta salad, also check out this Pesto Pasta Salad, Bruschetta Pasta Salad, or this Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad!
Recipe Ingredients
- Orzo – Orzo is a rice shaped pasta with a fun texture. Its small size works great for pasta salad because it mixes well with all of the other ingredients.
- Summer Veggies – I included spinach, baby tomatoes (actually a fruit!), zucchini, white onion and corn which all get soft and carmalezied after roasting in a healthy dose of olive oil.
- Goat Cheese – Goat cheese has a creamy, buttery flavor that pairs great with roasted tomatoes in this pasta salad. The cheese becomes melty when mixed with the warm ingredients, almost like a cheese sauce.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Prepare Orzo. First heat a pot of water on medium heat and bring to a boil. Add orzo to boiling water and cook 1-2 minutes less than recommended box instructions. We want it al dente. Once the orzo is finished cooking, strain and rinse with cold water.
Step 2: Prep Veggies. Preheat the oven to 350°. Wash and dice sweet onion, summer zucchini, and halve tomatoes. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a pyrex baking dish. Add onions, zucchini, tomatoes, and corn to the dish. Mix vegetables so they’re evenly coated in oil. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and toss again.
Step 3: Roast Veggies. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until veggies have caramelized and some of the tomatoes have burst.
Step 4: Add orzo and cheese. Then add the cooked orzo to the baking dish on top of the veggies as well as the goat cheese crumbles.
Step 5: Add spinach. Lastly add another tablespoon of olive oil and fresh spinach to the dish. Toss everything together (the goat cheese will melt in with the hot vegetables and pasta) and serve fresh warm or cold.
Recipe FAQs
Store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Note: The orzo will absorb a lot of the flavors and goat cheese when left to sit. Simply toss with your favorite dressing prior to serving to ensure the flavor is all there.
Don’t overcook your orzo. You want it al dente. Overcooked orzo will be mushy and stick together, which is not ideal for this Summer Orzo Salad.
Use good olive oil! The drizzle of oil at the end enhances this dish and a nice olive oil really makes a difference.
Traditional pasta salad is served cold like a lettuce salad would be, and this orzo is fabulous chilled. That said, I’ve also had it warm and with the charred tomato and goat cheese that becomes so creamy when heated, I can assure you it works deliciously as a hot dish as well.
This dish goes great with grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, or if you’re vegetarian, mix in some chickpeas or white beans.
Absolutely. Penne, fusilli, or macaroni noodles would all work great. If you’re gluten free, use a chickpea noodle (I love Banza) rice noodle. I also think using Right Rice would be tasty and mimic the shape of orzo.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Summer Orzo Salad
Equipment
- Sauce pot
- strainer
- 9 x 13 baking dish
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry orzo
- 15 oz baby tomatoes
- 1 medium zucchini squash
- 1 medium white onion
- 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 2 cups spinach
Instructions
- First, heat a medium sized pot of water and bring to a boil.
- Add orzo to boiling water and cook 1-2 minutes less than recommended box instructions. We want it al dente.
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Wash and dice sweet onion, summer zucchini, and halve tomatoes.
- Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a pyrex baking dish. Add onions, zucchini, tomatoes, and corn to the dish. Mix vegetables so they’re evenly coated in oil. Sprinkle Italian seasoning and toss again. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Once the orzo is finished cooking, strain and rinse with cold water. Rinsing will help the pasta from sticking together.
- Remove the vegetables from the oven and add the cooked orzo to the baking dish.
- Then add goat cheese crumbles, another tablespoon of olive oil and fresh spinach to the dish. Toss everything together (the goat cheese will melt due to the hot vegetables) and serve warm or cold.
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find SUMMER ORZO SALAD calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
I love this recipe! I added in more vegetables and it was TASTY!
I made this recipe with Right Rice instead of orzo and WOWZA. Will definitely be making again.
Just made this recipe with some grilled chicken and it was DELICIOUS! I had it warm and really enjoyed it!
A treat for the tastebuds which can be bored with a regular lunch
I have made this salad about five times now. It’s so amazing! I’m a pasta lover and this is perfect for lunch or dinner. And so light!
I made this with cavatelli pasta instead of orzo and it was YUMMY. Meal prepped multiple servings for lunch/dinner throughout the week and it was great. Will definitely be making again!
SO good! Even my vegetable hating husband liked it. Roasting the veggies is a game changer.
Soo good for meal prep or any easy dinner!!
Very yummy and easy to put together. Brought this to a neighborhood party and everyone wanted the recipe!
OBSESSED. This is a delicious side dish or even meal!!
Classic and delicious orzo salad recipe!! It goes with so much and is a great leftover or snack
Massive fave! Mmmmmmm!!