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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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!!
Looking for other simple 30 minute dinners? These few are always a favorite.
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
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
- 1 pound dry orzo pasta
- 3 ounces prosciutto, torn
- 4 tablespoon salted butter
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeded if desired, and chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons champagne or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped chives
- 4 ears grilled or steamed corn, kernels removed from the cobb
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- 2 avocados, sliced
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.
This is absolutely delicious! The fresh ingredients give such depth of flavor, and I will definitely make this again. I would recommend prepping as many ingredients as you can in advance, since there are so many. It took me closer to an hour to make this meal by the time it was ready to eat (washing and chopping herbs, crisping prosciutto, grilling and cutting corn, etc.) As an added bonus I was able to deconstruct some of it to feed to my 1 and 4 year old and the leftovers tasted great served cold as my lunch today!
Love to hear that!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Adrienne! xTieghan
I love all HBH recipes but THIS was SO easy SO delicious and SO satisfying to make! I also love the feature on all your recipes that allows you to change the serving size! 3 servings was just perfect for my hungry man and I!
Thank you so much Kylie!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was delicious! Orzo is my new favorite! I diced everything earlier in the day and then made the orzo on the stove and did the rest outside in a cast iro pan on my grill! I used goat cheese instead because I served your delicious honey, red pepper feta and fresh toasted pita as an app! I served the orzo with a simple salmon. Always a great meal when I use your recipes!
Aw you are too kind! I am so glad you have been loving my recipes, Jill! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this last night and it was amazing. The crispy prosciutto just topped it off. I am planning on making it again but as a side pasta dish for potlucks or cookouts.
Thank you so much Amber!! xTieghan
I made this with tempeh marinated in soy sauce and a bit of honey instead of prosciutto, and it was AMAZING 🙂
Yum! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Arlie! xTieghan
Finally made this and I have to say I was worried how all the ingredients would come together, but I tried it anyway bc why not, you have never disappointed me with any of yours recipes! It was an out of the ballpark dish! We usually have leftovers but not this time!! Will def be part of our summer rotation!! So so delicious??
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Kathy! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
I made this for my boyfriend last night and he ate two whole bowls! It was absolutely delicious and this recipe will definitely be going in our recipe binder.
Thank you so much! I am really glad this turned out well for you! xTieghan
This looks lovely. If you don’t have orzo, and don’t feel like going to the store for just this one item but have everything else, what would your second choice of pasta be?
Hey Kelly,
I would just use another short cut noodle or couscous! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Made this recipe as a side last week and it was excellent! All the flavors meshed together so perfectly, and the ingredients are so uniquely paired I wouldn’t have thought to put them together on my own. We loved it
Amazing!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Anna! xTieghan
I’ve made this 2 times since it was published 4 days ago. It is absolutely incredible. The flavors are amazing, combine so well and leave you wanting more. This will be a go to forever for me!
Wow that is amazing!! I am so happy you have been loving this recipe, Sarah! Thank you! xTieghan
So good! As I was making and looking at the pictures I was thinking: “Why is Tieghan not telling us about the sun-dried tomatoes? They’re right there in the photo!”…. it was the crisped prosciutto. So I put in some sun dried tomato with the fresh tomato, too. What a great recipe! So easy and fresh and delicious!
Hey Katie,
So glad you enjoyed the recipe!! xTieghan
Made the enchiladas last night!!
What a hit, Everyone loved them❤️
My daughter who doesn’t like spicy, gobbled them up with extra sour cream.
I love the heat but may use 2 Chipotle’s next time around for the rest of the family.
Wow that is so amazing!! Thank you so much for trying these Lauren! xTieghan
This was so different than most of the meals I’ve had in my life. I also BATE traditional pasta salads but THIS was amazing. It has a really cool pasta salad side potential or main course. We ate it the first night as the main course. The leftovers were paired with other dishes sans prosciutto. We left out the jalapeño because we forgot it but it was still wonderful. We talked about it on and off for days. You know a recipe was good when it makes it onto a recipe card in pen and added to my recipe box! Can’t wait to have this again!
Thank you so much Nicole!! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is the first recipe I’ve made from your site and it was amazing!!! So much flavor! Thank so much!
Thank you so much Shari!! xTieghan
Just made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I ate it as a meal and the hubby had it as a side with his salmon. We are it warm and I am so excited to have it cold tomorrow for lunch! Thanks again for another homerun recipe!
Thank you Sasha!! So happy to hear that! xTieghan