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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!
Made this tonight for dinner and honestly so freaking good! Will make again!
Thanks so so much for trying out this recipe! Have a lovely day! xT
SO delicious! First time around I wasn’t sure how many chili flakes. Don’t think I out quite enough. I used regular salt, not kosher. Think kosher would be better. Really helps bring out the flavor. But the fresh herbs in here are dynamite! Crowd pleaser, for sure! Make again for sure! Thank you! 🙏🏻
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! Have an awesome weekend! xT
Added chicken thighs and sliced tomatoes to the zucchini when roasting then used a four cup container of chicken bone broth to fully cook the 16 oz of orzo. Next time I’ll make sure I have a lemon on hand to add an acidity.
I recommend trying this recipe or adding your personal flair to it.
Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! I’m SO glad you enjoyed it! xT
This is a silly question, but how do you drain off the excess oil on top afterwards?
The recipe looked interesting so I decided to try it out as a meal prep for lunch this week. So far, the squash and zucchini have held up and have not been soggy. Since this is lunch and I want to be sure to be full for the afternoon, I cut down on the amount of orzo and added a can of white beans to up the fiber content. I used water, but next time I would probably use chicken/veg stock – i think the water thinned out the seasoning from the other elements. Overall a great dish though!
Hi there! Thanks so much! Love to hear that! xT
LOVE THIS! I shredded the zucchini (salted, sat, strained) and the veggie haters scarfed it down with seconds. It did take over 3 cups of water and a little more time to cook the orzo. It seems pretty flexible and forgiving. I only used mozzarella, no cheddar. Next time maybe I will blend with feta. THANK YOU!
Thank you sooo much for giving the recipe a try! I am so glad you enjoyed it! xT
This turned out great! I had some baking dish shenanigans when I tried to halve the recipe but then still used too much zucchini, but it still turned out perfect. So yummy!
Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Have an awesome weekend! xT
Can I add chicken? And if so when do I add that in?
Hi there! I would throw in some cooked chicken before baking! xT
Is there any way I could make this a few days ahead or freeze it for later? Thank you 🤍
Hey Zoe! I haven’t ever tried freezing this recipe so I’m not sure! So sorry! xT
This was really delicious, although I wasn’t sure in the beginning if the orzo would actually get done in the oven. I used 3 cups of water (not 2.5) and cooked for 20 minutes (not 15), then added another half cup before covering with cheese. Amazing, it was perfect, and I’m sure I’ll be making this again!
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
This was delicious and so filling! I loved using fresh thyme and basil from my garden! Very flavorful and easy to make! Turned out beautifully!
Hi there! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! So glad you enjoyed it! xT
I made half of the recipe and used Arborio rice because that’s what I had. Delicious. Served as a side with salmon.
Thanks so so much!
This was great, but definitely needed the modifications in the previous comments!
I used 12 oz of orzo instead of 16, increased the water to ~3 cups, and cooked it for about 10 extra min before adding the cheese and everything came out perfect!
I though the pasta to other stuff ratio was great like this, and, for my personal tastes might use even a little less orzo next time.
Thank you for the feedback! xT
I added about 1lb of boneless skinless chicken breast to the squash and zucchini and the casserole was a huge hit for dinner!
Awesome! Thanks for trying out the recipe! xT
I had to cook it an additional 20 mins for the orzo to cook through. Tasted delish.
Thank you Sara! xT
The flavors were amazing, but my orzo did not cook in the suggested time. I needed to add more water and cook it for about 10 minutes longer. I am willing to say that the difference could be in the moisture content of the homemade pesto that I used. Next time, I will cut back to 12 ounces of orzo.
Thanks for letting me know! xT