June 24, 2024

Greek Orzo Salad with Roasted Corn and Zucchini

This post was originally published here July 30, 2013. I’ve since adjusted the recipe slightly. And updated the photographs and text to reflect those changes.

I’ve been on a real pasta salad kick lately. And I’m kind of digging it!

I didn’t eat a lot of pasta salads growing up. In fact, I actively avoided them most of the time. The pasta salads I knew in my youth were always mayonnaise-based. And that was a big no-no for me. And it still kind of is. I can tolerate some mayonnaise now. But it’s not my favorite condiment and I usually try to steer clear of it.

Over the years, I’ve learned to make some really great pasta salads that have zero mayonnaise. Which means I can now happily include pasta salads in my cooking rotation. And my Summer potlucks have been saved!

This Greek Orzo Salad with Roasted Corn and Zucchini is filled with Summer veggies, including corn, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and arugula. It also has olives, feta cheese and an olive oil and red wine vinegar-based dressing. Fresh squeezed lemon juice and a bit of za’atar seasoning in the dressing really bring those Greek-inspired flavors into every single bite of this pasta salad.

This Greek Orzo Salad with Roasted Corn and Zucchini is a great make-ahead recipe. I say in the recipe instructions below that the leftovers can be enjoyed for 2-3 days. But in the spirit of transparency, I’ll admit that I ate this pasta salad a full 7 days after the initial making.

I think this is a great example of “do as I say and not as I do”. I wouldn’t recommend letting an entire week go by before finishing this pasta salad. But I’m just trying to get the point across that it will last. If you’re going to make this recipe ahead, I suggest doing everything except folding in the arugula. You can do that step just before serving. And hang onto any extra dressing that you might have. The orzo tends to soak up the dressing as it sits, so you might want to give it a couple splashes to freshen it up.

This would be a great recipe to try for the 4th of July. If you do, let me know!

Cheers,

Liz

Get the Recipe:

Greek Orzo Salad with Roasted Corn and Zucchini

At a Glance:

Yield: Serves 6-8

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Print

Ingredients

For the Dressing:

• 3/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. za’atar seasoning

For the Salad:

• 3 cups chopped zucchini (about 1-inch pieces)
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 4 ears of corn, kernels sliced off
• 12 ounces orzo
• About 3-4 cups arugula
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup pitted olives, halved if large
• 8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or cubed

Instructions

1. Add all the ingredients for the dressing to a medium bowl. Whisk until fully combined. Set aside.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. 
3. Add the chopped zucchini to a large rimmed baking pan and toss with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and roast for 15 minutes. Then remove the baking pan from your oven, add the corn kernels and stir to combine them with the zucchini. Return the baking pan to your oven and roast for an additional 15 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain. Transfer the orzo to a large bowl and drizzle on about half of the dressing, tossing to coat. Fold in the roasted corn and zucchini. Set aside to cool.
5. Once the orzo has cooled to room temperature, fold in the arugula, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. Taste and add more dressing, if needed. 
6. This salad can be served at room temperature or chilled.
7. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 2-3 days.