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This quick and simple Brown Butter Corn and Feta Orzo with Crispy Prosciutto is the best any night of the week summer dinner. Quick-cooking orzo pasta is tossed in a browned butter pan sauce with sweet caramelized shallots, charred corn, cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, and salty feta cheese. Every bite is layered with delicious summer flavors. Finish this pasta off with extra crispy prosciutto and creamy avocado slices. When in need of a quick and simple summer meal…that’s also bright and colorful…make this orzo!

overhead photo of Brown Butter Corn and Feta Orzo with Crispy Prosciutto

Honest truth? I had a very different recipe planned for today that looked nothing like this summery bowl of orzo pasta. Some weeks I’ll have not one recipe that fails. Other weeks I’ll have recipe after recipe that’s either challenging or just not working out the way I had envisioned. This week has been a mix. After multiple rounds of recipe testing, I decided I was done with the recipe I had planned for today. I’d been working on it too long and I needed to move on. Sometimes recipes are worth the time and effort. And then other recipes are just not great and I have to move on from them.

So, at the eleventh hour (so typical of me), I switched gears completely, and that’s when this orzo recipe happened.

Was it planned or thought out? Nope, it sure wasn’t, but as I often say, my “spur of the moment of recipes” often end up being my most loved.

They tend to be quick and simple, but yet delicious, and exactly what I’m craving at that very moment in time. And that was clearly the case with this orzo. It’s kind of like a summery pasta salad, but with additions like browned butter and extra crispy prosciutto. They elevate the dish and make it so much more than a pasta salad.

overhead photo of Brown Butter

Here are the details.

This is pretty quick. Start by boiling off the orzo. Once it’s done cooking I like to add it right back to the hot pot so that we can toss in all of the remaining ingredients and save on dishes.

While the orzo is cooking, crisp up plenty of prosciutto in a dry skillet. I’m currently loving crispy prosciutto and can’t stop using it. I love the layer of salty flavor it adds, and of course, the crunch too.

Once the prosciutto is crisp, remove it from the skillet. Then add butter, preferably salted cultured butter, to the same skillet. This is key to this pasta. You’ll brown the butter which gives it a nice nutty flavor that I find particularly delicious with the sweet grilled corn. As the butter browns, toss in the chopped shallot, a spicy jalapeño pepper, and some fresh thyme. The shallots become caramelized, the jalapeño adds a little heat, and the thyme adds a nice herby touch. And I love browned butter with thyme.

overhead photo of Crispy Prosciutto

Now pour the browned butter over the orzo and toss. Add the fresh basil and chives and toss, toss, toss, I like to do this while everything is still pretty hot. The heat from the orzo and browned butter really help to infuse the herbs and mend the flavors into the pasta…adding yet another layer of deliciousness to this simple meal.

Now, add lots of grilled or roasted corn, fresh cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese…so much feta cheese.

Top the pasta with thin slices of creamy avocado and all that crispy prosciutto. Maybe add some fresh chives on top too. Again, SO GOOD. It’s kind of amazing how something so simple and fresh can taste so delicious.

overhead close up photo of Brown Butter Corn and Feta Orzo with Crispy Prosciutto

How do you eat this orzo pasta? There are many ways.

Option 1: eat this just as directed, nice and hot with extra herbs and maybe even some extra browned butter on top. Easiest summer dinner you’ll make this week, and just mouth-watering.

Option 2: MEAL PREP! Make this on Sunday night, leave the prosciutto and avocado out, portion it out for lunch or dinner. Then simply toss and add the prosciutto and avocado in before serving. You’ll then have a very well seasoned pasta that’s so very delicious. Love a pasta that actually gets better over time. It’s very rare when a pasta that sits actually gets better, but this pasta is just extra special.

Option 4: serve this up chilled at your next summer BBQ. Of course. Personally, I love this warm, but even chilled this is just as delicious. It’s a great option for summer and even upcoming fall entertaining with the fam or small group of friends.

Either way, you serve this up, it’s going to be very well-loved!

overhead photo of Brown Butter Corn and Feta Orzo with Crispy Prosciutto

And lastly, a family review….

The day I made this recipe, I sent the leftovers to my parents and later that night received the following from my mom…

“This food is DELICIOUS!!!!!!”

Copy pasted.

So there ya go. This one is DELICIOUS. Enjoy!! Enjoy!!

overhead close up photo of Brown Butter Corn and Feta Orzo with Crispy Prosciutto

Looking for other simple 30 minute dinners? These few are always a favorite.

Garden Greens Goddess Pizza

Sweet Potato Fry Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Butter

Mac and Cheese Stuffed Oven Fried Zucchini Bites

Lastly, if you make this brown butter corn and feta orzo salad with crispy prosciutto, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Brown Butter Corn and Feta Orzo with Crispy Prosciutto

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 722 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and add the pasta right back to the pot.
    2. Meanwhile, cook the prosciutto in a large skillet set over medium heat until crispy, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the prosciutto from the skillet.
    3. To the skillet, add the butter. Allow the butter to brown until it smells toasted and is a deep golden color, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the olive oil, shallot, jalapeño, and thyme. Cook 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Pour the browned butter over the hot orzo. Toss to combine.
    4. To the orzo, add the basil, chives, lemon juice, vinegar, and honey. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Stir in the corn, tomatoes, and feta. Top the pasta with crispy prosciutto and avocado. Serve warm or at room temp.
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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is one of my all-time favorite dishes from HBH! Highly recommend. I grilled my corn, and the charring made for a delicious summer side.

    1. Hi Katie,
      Sure, burrata would be delicious! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT

  2. 5 stars
    This is an immensely adaptable recipe. I know this because I prepared the orzo and grilled the corn on a Saturday, and dressed it mostly according to the recipe (I used a sweet onion as that was all I had). Then our plans changed so I tucked the salad into the refrigerator until Wednesday, when I finished the recipe (minus the prosciutto as we had none) and we enjoyed it as a room temperature lunch. The flavors came together extremely well even with all of my modifications. Will definitely add this to my recipe box.

    1. Hey Victoria,
      Fantastic!! 🌴🍌 I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you! xT

  3. In our house this is simply known as “the orzo dish” and is always on the dinner list when our kids are home from college. I love the wonderful blend of flavors and textures.

    1. Hey Heidi,
      Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe always turns out well for you, thanks so much for making it so often! xT

  4. This was AMAZING. WOWZA. We didn’t have fresh thyme, so just used dried. Also – shallots looked pretty sad in the market so we went just sweet onion. I was worried about everything timing perfect so it was hot, but it turned out just right. I did double the prosciutto because MEAT, and charred the cherry tomatoes on the grill with a grill pan (kept them whole).

    My boys (dad and brother) and they can be picky guys with little urge for food adventure.

    1. Hey Katie,
      Wonderful!! Thank you so much for making the recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! Have the best week:) xxT

        1. Hey jess,
          You can make this entire recipe in advance, I would just wait to add the avocado until you are ready to serve. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

  5. I made this for a bbq and everybody loved it! My friends said it was such a “restaurant quality” dish. Will definitely make it again! Greetings from Singapore

    1. Hey there,
      Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and I appreciate you giving it a try! xTieghan

  6. 5 stars
    This was amazing! Made it exactly as the recipe suggests and wouldn’t change a thing. One of my all time favorites of yours! Thank you! A keeper for sure!

    1. Hey Martha,
      Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed:) xTieghan

      1. 5 stars
        Tieghan!!! This recipe is amazing! I just made it tonight with the intention of having it for lunches this week. My family ate some with our dinner, and we all loved it!! Absolutely delicious!!! Thank you for a great recipe. Would you consider doing a meal planning/prepping cookbook or a subsection on your website? I am a very busy mom and work full time and would welcome more help with meal planning and prepping. Thank you again for the wonderful recipe! We will be enjoying it for our lunches all week!

        1. Hey Kathy,
          Happy Monday!!☀️🌊 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear that it was a hit! Thanks for sharing your feedback, I do have a weekly meal plan and grocery list that gets sent out on Sundays if you sign up for our emails:) xT