This Orzo Pasta Salad with roasted corn and sliced cherry tomatoes has loads of delicious flavors from simply adding fresh herbs and garlic and tossing with a fabulous light lemony sauce.
This orzo salad is a twist on traditional pasta salads with using orzo pasta (instead of elbow or rotini macaroni) and no mayo. It is always a hit at any potlucks and barbecues! This Italian Pasta Salad is another favorite of mine too!
This pasta salad is another incredibly simple side dish to make and wow anyone who eats it. I love the extra flavor that sautéing garlic and then roasting the corn before adding it to the orzo pasta, tomatoes, and fresh basil.
The sauce is so light but full of flavor. It’s a simply olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon juice for the perfect blend. You could even add feta cheese for an even bolder flavor.
I made it ahead of time for our Summer camping trip this weekend. I like to serve it with our favorite Italian grilled chicken and some slices of watermelon for a simple, healthy meal.
How to Make This Pasta Salad Recipe
Cook the orzo pasta according to package directions.
Drain and set aside to cool.
Add 1 tablespoons oil to a large skillet, add garlic and saute over medium-high heat,and cook for about 3 minutes.
Add corn and saute 3 more minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl combine orzo, tomatoes and basil. Stir well.
Then add in cooled corn and garlic
In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Pour dressing over salad and toss well.
Serve at room temperature.
ENJOY!!
Be sure to try these other hearty salad recipes too:
Roasted Corn Orzo Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut or olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb of frozen corn or 2 cups of fresh cooked corn
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
- ½ lb of orzo pasta
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook Orzo pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Add 1 tablespoons oil to a large skillet, add garlic and saute over medium-high heat,and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add corn and saute 3 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl combine orzo, tomatoes and basil stir well.
- Then add in cooled corn and garlic mixture
- In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour dressing over salad and toss well.
- Serve at room temperature.
- ENJOY!!
Kristine S
This is so tasty! Little things I did: sprinkled some olive oil over the pasta as it cooled so it didn’t stick together. I cooked the corn much longer than 3 minutes, using two bags of 10oz steamer corn. I salted it and tasted it for the correct texture. I added two bunches of sliced scallions to the doubled recipe. That’s about it. It was a hit! So much flavor!
Jan c.
Light and flavorful. Perfect summer salad. Will make this again
Sherri
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Karin
This salad is always a hit and so easy to make. I use the frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe’s that adds more of that delicious roasted Flavor. It is this recipe that turned me on to Sherri’s website.
Sherri
I love hearing that! I will have to find that corn at TJ’s. I can’t believe I haven’t ever seen it!
Karen
nice light dressing. We everything in stock but the tomatoes. I added parmesan cheese. Hubby almost ate it all. Nice salad to bring to a barbecue too. Thanks
Sherri
I’m so happy to hear that!
Sherri
I love the added parmesan! I am so glad it was a hit!
Karin
can I make this with rice to accommodate my gluten intolerant friend. I wonder how much rice i would need to substitute for 1/2 pound of orzo.
This sounds like a perfect Summer recipe.
Thank you.
Abbey
How long would this keep do you think? Looks so good!
Sherri
Definitely 4-5 days in the refrigerator 🙂 It’s one of my favs!
Jimmy
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Marybeth Whalen
This looks amazing! I have a box of orzo I’ve been wanting to use and now I know how. Thanks for the idea!
Jackie
Hi, is this measurement for a half lb of cooked orzo or uncooked?
Sherri
Hi~ that measurement is for the uncooked pasta (before cooking). 🙂
Yolanda
I made this for a summer gathering and it was a hit! I think I will use cilantro instead of basil, add red onion for a little kick and Mexican Queso Fresco at the end.
Stacy
Very good! I used leftover grilled corn on the cob. Needed a little more flavor the next day—it seemed to dry up too much—so I added some Italian dressing.
KELLY BYRON
I made this last night with fresh corn off the cob and it was delicious. I served it warm but ate it cold for lunch the next day and it was just as good. I did add some red/yellow pepper to the recipe. Served it with grilled pork tenderloin and it was a fabulous meal!
Dottie
Does this Orzo salad keep overnight in frig ? Or is it best eaten right after mixing all together ? Thanks
Sherri
Oh yes!! It is even better when the flavors have more time to blend together. 🙂
Betsy
Made it for lunch today because my husband is currently cutting back on fat calories I did not use all of the dressing only about 4 tablespoons and it came out okay in flavor, did use cilantro instead of the basil as I had abundant amount in my kitchen at the time . Loved it and have plenty over for dinner
Les
Hi Sherri, thank you so much for this recipe! It’s not only a great way to use the basil and cherry tomatoes I grow but a major source of praise whenever I take it to cook outs. It is an amazing pasta salad that is loaded with bright lemon flavor!! I love that it is safer than mayo based salads when it’s steamy outside.
Sherri
I’m so happy you enjoyed this! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Carole from Carole's Chatter
Hi Sherri, this would fit perfectly in Food on Friday: September under the corn theme. Hope you bring it on over to share with everybody. Cheers from Carole’s Chatter