Orzo With Grilled Summer Vegetables

This Orzo Pasta Salad recipe with grilled vegetables is a beautiful, make-ahead summer dish. It’s one of our go-to vegetarian or vegan recipes for BBQ’s and casual dinner parties. The flavors are light, bright and delicious

You can tailor this recipe to your tastes - varying the vegetables and seasonings as you like. Just keep tasting and adjusting. You won’t be disappointed!

Our Favorite Vegetables For Grilling:


Zucchini - green or yellow work perfectly, cut into 1/3″ to 1/2″ slices before grilling—cut too thin and they’ll fall apart.
Bell peppers, poblano peppers, jalapeño peppers, sweet baby peppers, shishito peppers — slice bell peppers and remove seeds of the bell peppers before grilling for easiest eating.
Portabello mushrooms or large brown mushrooms — no need to slice the mushrooms, grill them whole. Start the mushrooms gill side down then finish cap side down to hold in moisture.
Eggplant — our favorite way to eat eggplant, where it becomes tender, creamy, and smoky
Carrots — grilling quickly softens carrots and makes a pretty “tiger-striped” presentation
Onions — any variety including green onions become oh so sweet when grilled
Asparagus — fatter asparagus stalks are easier to cook on the grill.
Corn — fresh summer corn is incredible on the grill—juicy, sweet kernels with an undeniably crispy, smoky exterior.
Artichokes — So good! Our favorite technique here.
Cauliflower — slice as steaks or grill in florets
Broccoli — slice as steaks or grill in florets


Orzo With Grilled Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups uncooked orzo pasta, whole wheat or gluten-free

  • 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

  • 1 clove minced garlic

  • olive oil spray or olive oil

  • 1 small red onion, quartered

  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered

  • 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and quartered

  • 1 large, zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds

  • salt and black pepper, to taste

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 cup chopped basil

Instructions:

Prepare the grill with clean grates and preheat to medium heat, 350°F to 450°F.

Cook orzo in salted water according to package directions; drain and rinse under cold water, transfer to a large bowl and combine with tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of the oil and garlic.

Spray the onions, bell peppers and zucchini with olive oil; season with salt and black pepper, to taste

Grill vegetables on a grill basket 10-12 minutes or until lightly charred and tender. (Turn the veggies at the halfway point.)

Set the grilled veggies aside on a cutting board to cool, then dice into 1/2-inch pieces.

Toss with the remaining olive oil and vinegar and top with chopped basil

Variations we love:

  • Add some grilled chicken, fish, or tofu to the dish to make it a a heartier meal.

  • Add some heat such as chili flakes or sriracha.

  • Add fresh ripe mango or peach cubes – so good!

If you love this recipe, you might also like:

Easy Pesto Pasta

Quick Tahini Zoodles

Summer Quinoa Tabbouleh


CHEF PREPARED, NUTRITIONIST APPROVED, HEALTHY MEALS MADE EASY.…

FROM OUR KITCHEN TO YOURS!

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