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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!
I am giving this a 5 because I never want to leave a bad review but I have had my pasta in the oven for over 30 minutes and it’s still not cooked.. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Mimi,
Thanks for making the recipe, so sorry to hear you are having some issues. Was there anything you adjusted? What kind of pasta did you use? Let me know how I can help1 xTieghan
Tasty dish, but it would have to be a side dish for my family if I make it again. The teenagers didn’t care for it. (Y’all with toddlers who gobble it up are doing something right!) My jarred pesto had olive oil sitting on top, so I poured that off before stirring it into the orzo mixture. I’d use mozzarella next time, too, maybe or just eliminate the cheese. The whole dish tastes like pesto so the cheese just adds a melty topping and doesn’t seem to impart any flavor on its own. Not the prettiest dish, but flavorful and a good way to use zucchini.
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love it! xTieghan
This was delicious and super easy!! I halved the recipe and it turned out great. So good for summer!
Hi Paige,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xTieghan
Loved this! We ate it as our main dinner, but would also be great as a side for a larger group!
Hey Kalynn,
Awesome!! So glad your family enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xTieghan
This is a keeper! I used red onion instead of shallot and chicken stock instead of water, with lots of fresh herbs from my garden. My daughter and I loved the pop of sweet corn in this dish and I’m always a fan of one dish meals!!
Hi Corrina,
Happy Friday! I am so excited that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a go! xT?
Made this tonite – it was a delicious meatless meal! I can’t get enough of the sweet summer corn right now, and this was a perfect showcase for it. Everyone went back for seconds. Salvaged a tiny bit for my lunch tomorrow. Thank you for yet another wonderful (and EASY!) weeknight meal.
Hey Cynthia,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Have a great day! xx
Delicious! My garden squash are exploding, so I’ve been trying to find new and exciting ways to prepare squash. We had this as a side with some chicken drumsticks on the grill and it was amazing.
Hey Chersie,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am so glad it was a hit! Happy Thursday! xx
I replaced the orzo pasta with Gluten free but it was still hard when I took it out. Any advice?
Love love loveeed this. Made it during nap time and just heated it up at dinner time. Kids loved it (sans basil of course ?). I actually halved the amount of orzo and added in broccoli and it was delish!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Kaitlyn, thanks for making it! It’s always great when the kiddos like it too!! xTieghan
This recipe was so easy to make! I followed the measurements exactly and it turned out perfectly. I made it as the main dish but next time I might use it as a side dish. Otherwise I think this would be even greater with some tomatoes added in and some shredded chicken ?
Hi Autumn,
Happy Friday! I am so excited that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a go! xT?
Could I make this ahead of time and freeze?
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear you had some issues. Sorry, I am unclear on what you used, gluten free…? Let me know how I can help! xx
gluten free pasta takes longer to cook, whenever I do baked pasta dishes I will normally cook my gluten free pasta to a little under al dente on the stove then add it to the baking dish. hopefully that helps for you.
I started making this, convinced I had orzo, only to find out I didn’t. I used Arborio rice since that’s the closest thing I had – and it was delicious.
Hey Rachel,
So glad to hear the Arborio rice would well for you! Thanks for making the recipe, hope you’re off to a great day! xT
This was a great meatless meal last night. I used cooked brown rice as
my daughter is GF and it worked great. Very fresh and flavorful and easy to make. I would make this again for sure, thank you! I’m 2 for 2 with HBH meals this week. next up those corn wontons?
Hey Lisa!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed:)
Made this for supper tonight with fresh veggies from our local farmers market and fresh basil from our backyard. It was DELICIOUS! Even better on a work night, it was quick and easy. Looking forward to the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Hi Stacy,
Happy Wednesday!? Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a tasty one! xxT
How would you recommend freezing this? Freeze after baking? Or combine all the elements without baking and freeze?
Hi Jessie,
I would freeze just before baking:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
The orzo wasn’t quite done following the recipe as written – any tips for salvaging?
Hi Chelsea,
Thanks for trying the recipe! Was there anything you adjusted? I would cover with foil and bake longer:) I hope this helps! xx
I made this to go with some salmon, sooo delicious! And really easy! I used some heirloom squash my boss had given me. I will definitely be making this again!! Thanks!
Hey Danielle,
Awesome!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
So easy and tasty! I used frozen corn and it worked great
Hey Rebecca,
Happy Wednesday!? Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a tasty one! xxT
Hi!
Is 8oz jar of Pesto right? We used a half pint mason jar of pesto and it was way too much!
Thanks,
Lindsay
Yes we had the same issue! Too much pesto… we also used 1/2 the amount it turned the orzo brown which wasn’t very appetizing…. Otherwise I liked the summery freshness and ingredients!
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for making the recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy the pesto:) xx
Hi Lindsay,
Yes, 8 ounces of pesto is correct. You can always use less to your liking:) I hope this helps! xx