Corn and Zucchini Orzo Salad

This corn and zucchini orzo salad with goat cheese is not your average salad recipe. Prepared with orzo, it features sautéed zucchini, corn and goat cheese together with mint for a very refreshing touch. Simple and delicious!

I’ve long wanted to cook with orzo and now that I did, I wonder why I waited for so long! These short pasta cook super fast and make a great al-dente pasta to use in salad recipes.

Let’s get started with a simple pasta salad recipe featuring some grilled summer veggies, alongside some cheese, fresh mint and a subtle vinaigrette. The corn can be used fresh or from a can if easier.

What goes into zucchini orzo salad?

• Orzo pasta. This pasta can be replaced with other short pasta that work great in a salad, such as farfalle, penne or rigatoni.
• Summer squash. I used here green and yellow zucchini for a pop of color. Choose them small or medium in size, so they are more tender.
• Corn. Depending on the season and also of cultural habits, you can use ears of corn and grill them, or go the lazy option and grab a can of corn.
• Cheese. You can either go with fresh goat cheese or feta. I prefer the second option as it prevents the salad from being mushy when tossing all the ingredients together.
• Pine nuts. Toast them first, in a pan placed over medium-high heat with no fat, shaking for a few seconds until golden.
• Fresh mint. It adds some very refreshing notes to the salad.

All these ingredients are then tossed together with a simple Dijon mustard vinaigrette prepared with cumin. Delicious!

What is orzo?

Orzo is a short Italian dried pasta, with an oval-shape that resembles an unprocessed grain of barley, which is what “orzo” means in Italian, “barley.”

Orzo can be used in soups and casseroles to make them filling and add texture, in risoni (a sort of risotto made of orzo), and also in salads.

Key to success

• Do not overcook the pasta. Orzo is a small pasta that is very quick to cook. Because you want to keep it al-dente to use up in a salad, aim for 7-8 minutes cooking before draining under cold, running water to stop the cooking time.
• Grill the zucchini the right way. Drizzle zucchini with olive oil very lightly. This is key to get crispy zucchini. Also, I recommend you keep an eye on the oven while zucchini is baking to prevent from burning.
• Add the cheese at the very end, especially if you use fresh goat cheese (rather than feta), that can make the salad a little mushy if not tossed gently.
• Add the mint at last, just before serving. It’s key for keeping it fresh and fragrant. I recommend to chop it first, so that the flavors are spread out in the salad.

Storing and make-ahead instructions

This zucchini orzo salad is easy to make ahead of time, as long as you keep the vinaigrette in a separate airtight container or glass jar, and add the chopped mint just before serving. This is because mint goes dark and loses its pungency if cut too early.

Stored in an airtight container, this orzo salad (minus the vinaigrette and the mint) can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3 to 5 days.

Recipe variations

Like for any pasta salad, you can play around with the recipe, using other short pasta of your choice (farfalle, penne, rigatoni…). You can also replace the zucchini with fresh cucumber for a quicker version, add some cherry tomatoes, and also refresh the fresh mint with some basil or cilantro.

Other salads for you to try:

• Lentil Salad with Zucchini, Feta and Mint
• Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad
• Mediterranean Chickpea Couscous Salad
• Curried Apricot Quinoa Salad
• Green Pea Salad with Goat Cheese
• Cucumber Feta Quinoa Salad

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