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Nothing’s better (or easier) than this One Pan Corn and Zucchini Pesto Orzo Casserole with crispy, crunchy cheddar on top. Made using healthy vegetables and herbs, this bake is so darn easy, and so darn delicious. It’s made entirely in one pan and in under an hour. Grab some orzo pasta, plenty of herbs, and all the summer zucchini and corn that you can find. Toss everything together in a baking dish, then add creamy Havarti and sharp cheddar cheese. Bake until the top is crispy and crunchy. Simple, but SO GOOD.
With the abundance of summertime zucchini, corn, and herbs, I’m doing all I can to use everything up before the season ends. I’m overwhelmed with ideas, but that’s a good thing, and very exciting! I love this time of year so much.
Before leaving for Mexico, I was trying to use up some of the herbs we had in the greenhouse. You’re going to hear me say this again and again over the next few weeks, but the amount of basil we have is unreal. So much basil, so lots of basil recipes coming soon!
I thought I would highlight the fresh zucchini and corn with this recipe. It’s the perfect all-in-one dinner and it takes no time to prepare.
The background
Do you guys remember the caprese bake I made a while back? While that dish inspired this one. I LOVED that method of cooking orzo in the same pan as everything else. Not only is it super easy, but the orzo ends up tasting even more delicious because it becomes infused with the flavors of the dish.
I wanted to take that cooking method and apply it to this recipe, just switch up the flavors and summery ingredients.
The details
The recipe starts and ends in the same baking dish.
I like to use a mix of zucchini and yellow summer squash, but you can use either/or for this dish. Give them a nice thin slice, then toss with olive oil, garlic, shallots, fresh thyme, and some Italian seasoning.
Roast the zucchini to help remove the water and get the cooking process moving along.
When the zucchini is ready, add the corn, the orzo, the basil pesto, and some chili flakes for a little heat.
Toss everything together, then pour over the water, so simple. The water cooks the pasta just as if we’d boiled it on the stove. Once the water is in, bake another 10 minutes or so. Allow the water to cook into the pasta, then stir, and sprinkle over the cheese. Now finish baking!
Finish it up and eat
When the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted, pull the pan out. If there’s a lot of oil on top from the jar of pesto, just drain that off and save it for dipping with bread (YUMMM).
Top with plenty of fresh basil and that’s literally it. SO SIMPLE, SO DELICIOUS! And I love that there’s basically no prep or extra dishes.
Simple but delicious really is the key! Especially during these fun summer days.
Looking for other easy summer bakes? Here are my favorites:
One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake
Lastly, if you make this One Pan Corn and Zucchini Pesto Orzo Casserole, 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!
Easiest One Pan Corn and Zucchini Pesto Orzo Casserole
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 737 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini or yellow summer squash, sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cups fresh corn
- chili flakes
- 1 pound dry orzo pasta
- 1 jar (8 ounce) basil pesto
- 3/4 cup shredded Havarti or mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, combine the zucchini, olive oil, garlic, shallots, thyme, Italian seasoning, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Roast 15 minutes. Pull the zucchini out of the oven. To the same pan, add the corn, orzo, and pesto. Pour over 2 1/2 cups of water and stir to combine. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until most of the water has cooked into the pasta, but not all of it.3. Stir the pasta around, then sprinkle over the cheeses. Bake another 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. If there's a lot of oil from the pesto on top, drain off the excess. Top with fresh basil!
Hi Tieghan,
Once again I was super pleased with one of your recipes. My brother & family visited and chose this meatless recipe as our main dish. Everyone loved it and I will be making it again. It’s always nice to use the zucchini from our garden. I didn’t alter the recipe at all and it was perfect. Thank you.
Marianne
Thanks so much Marianne! xT
Made this for my family last night and it was a hit. My 20 month old and my husband loved it. I had everything in the house too! thank you.
Thank you soooo much! I so appreciate you taking the time to leave such a kind comment! xT
Any suggestions on orzo replacement? I thought I had some but I am all out
Hey there! Rice should work well! xT
I loved this recipe! I made a few tweaks to suit my husband & I. I used 1 cup orzo and 2 cups water as one reader suggested, which worked great. I also added chicken (shredded rotessierie chicken) and added it in the last step, before topping with cheese and baking one last time. It was great. I also reheated the leftovers in the oven the next day and thought it was just as good on day 2.
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! So happy to hear it was enjoyed! Have an awesome week! xT
Do you boil the corn before taking it off cob?
Nope! No need to cook before hand!
Flavors are amazing! My zucchini I used was giant from my friends garden; and the skin was a little tough even though it was sliced very thin. I would recommend using smaller/young zucchini! Outstanding backyard bbq side dish Tieghan. Thanks!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! I’m so glad you loved it! xT
I made this tonight and substituted one cup of Israeli pearled couscous for the orzo with one cup of water and used more corn and a little less cheese. It was delicious. Next time I’m going to add some cherry tomatoes from my garden. Thank you Tiegan for the wonderful idea!
Hey Sherry! Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! I’m so glad you loved it! xT
The recipe was easy and delicious. I cut the orzo to 1 cup and used 2 cups water. Worked out perfectly!
Hey Trish! So happy to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
I love the inspirations Tieghan offers with her flavorful recipes! This is a perfect summer bounty one dish dinner, I added garlic scapes from my garden and tomatoes, the smell from the oven was tantalizing! This dish will fall into a regular rotation to use up the summer bounty!
Hey! So happy to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
Would you have to change anything if you subbed rice for the orzo? Thanks!
Hi Amy! I would maybe add a little more liquid if you’re using rice! xT
Made this last night with fresh garden veggies and herbs. So delicious! Perfect side with our steamed lobsters.
Hey! So happy to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
The sweet corn, fresh basil, chewy orzo and melty cheese are a winning combination in this easy, filling dish.
Hey! So happy to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
Was the orzo amount correct? Did anyone make it?
1lb of orzo seems like a lot, is that the correct amount ?
I’m cooking it now and was thinking the same thing. A whole pound of orzo?
Yes it is! xT
Hello Tieghan
Any suggestions for substituting for the pesto?
Hi! Hmm you could just add some basil and whatever herbs/spices you’d like, since omitting the pesto will lose a lot of the flavor! xT
Hi Jeanne I thought I would give an idea for a pesto substitute, maybe cherry tomatoes, I would roast them when you roast the squash.