Greek Orzo Pasta with Grilled Summer Vegetables
This easy Greek Orzo pasta dish is filled with bright Mediterranean
flavors that we all love and summer staple mix-ins, like zucchini,
tomatoes, and summer squash.
flavors that we all love and summer staple mix-ins, like zucchini,
tomatoes, and summer squash.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For Grilled Vegetables
- 1 Zucchini cut into ¼ inch thick coins
- 1 Yellow/Summer squash cut into ¼ inch thick coins
- 8-10 sweet peppers see notes
- 1 Red onion cut into thick slices
- 4 tablespoon Greek marinade see notes
For Pasta
- 1 tablespoon Butter or olive oil
- 2 cloves Minced garlic about 1 tbsp
- 4 sprigs Fresh thyme divided
- 1 cob Corn Kernels removed with a sharp knife
- ½ cup Grape or cherry tomatoes about 8-10 tomatoes
- ½ Red onion thinly sliced
- 16 oz Orzo pasta see notes
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar adjust according to your liking
- 2 tablespoon Chopped fresh basil
- ½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Greek or Italian seasoning
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Crumbled Feta optional
- Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle, optional
Instructions
- Marinate the veggies for 10-15 minutes and then grill them on a medium hot outdoor grill or in a grill pan, about 2-3 minutes per side. You should be able to see some grill marks without overcooking the veggies. (See notes)
- Add water to a pot, salt it and bring it to boil. Cook orzo according to directions on the package.
- While the water is boiling to cook the orzo, set a heavy bottomed (or non-stick) wide skillet on medium heat. Add butter or olive oil along with two sprigs of fresh thyme.
- Once the butter is melted, add garlic and wait for a few seconds. Now add the corn kernels and stir them around. Wait for 2-3 minutes until some of the kernels have brown spots on them. Charred corn = Yummy!
- Now add in the cherry tomatoes and turn the heat up to medium high. Toss around the tomatoes in the butter, garlic and thyme (+ corn) concoction and do a happy dance. That aroma is divine. Wait for the tomatoes to blister and pop, about 5-6 minutes.
- Your orzo might be close to getting done by now.
- Once most of the tomatoes have popped, add in the sliced onions and cook for another minute or two. Now add the grilled vegetables and mix everything together. Turn the heat to high and add the red wine vinegar. Mix.
- While the veggies are mingling with the vinegar (turn the heat bac to medium), take a cup of pasta cooking water out of the pot and set aside. Drain the coked orzo. Add the drained orzo to the skillet with veggies. Add all the chopped herbs, seasoning and salt and pepper.
- Mix everything together and add about a ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to create a "sauce". Once everything in nice and hot and mixed together, give it a taste check to make sure it is seasoned well.
- Finish the pasta with some crumbled feta and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve hot, warm or even cold. Enjoy!
Notes
If you do not have sweet peppers, you can also use your choice of bell pepper cut into thick sticks.
I used store bought Greek marinade. You can make your own by adding olive oil, garlic, red wine vinegar, a little bit of all the chopped fresh herbs that we are using in the pasta, salt, and black pepper.
If you cannot find orzo or have any other pasta shape on hand, feel free to use that. Cook pasta according to the package directions