Do you need a side dish for a summer party, or just something fun to make for a family dinner? You’ll love all the flavors in this Summer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad!
Summer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad
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Pasta salads are so much fun! You can mix and match different types of pasta, use different sauces, and switch up the vegetables. This Summer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad uses delicious summer veggies roasted in your oven for a fantastic flavor!
I love cooking with orzo pasta. It looks a bit like rice, but has the pasta textures you’re looking for in a summer pasta salad. Because orzo pasta is small, I like to use smaller vegetable pieces in a salad with orzo. It takes a few extra minutes to chop the vegetables smaller, but it’s definitely worth it!
I used a zucchini, summer squash, orange bell pepper, and a few Roma tomatoes in this pasta salad. If you have a different favorite, just swap it out! (That’s what makes cooking so much fun – use what you love from the recipe, and change what you don’t.) I like Roma tomatoes in a recipe like this because they have less juice than your typical slicing tomatoes. Less moisture in the tomatoes means that they’ll roast up a little bit faster than other kinds of tomatoes.
Toss your vegetables together with some olive oil, salt, and pepper on a lipped baking sheet and put them in the oven for a little while. They’ll need to roast for 40-45 minutes. Stir the vegetables occasionally, but for the most part, you can ignore them while they are cooking. (Just set a timer for 15 minutes, and stir when the timer goes off!)
Then when your pasta is cooked and your veggies are roasted, toss everything together in a bowl and pop it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy your pasta salad!
Would you like even more recipes using orzo pasta? Check out this great list from our friends at Sunday Supper!
Orzo Pasta Recipes
- Beef with Onion Gravy Orzo by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Greek Orzo Pasta Salad with Chicken by Sunday Supper Movement
- One Pot Italian Sausage Orzo with Spinach by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Orzo Risotto with Asparagus and Shrimp by Delaware Girl Eats
- Orzo Salad with Watermelon and Feta by Positively Stacey
- Elegant Orzo Shrimp & Vegetable Salad Stuffed Avocados by Kudos Kitchen by Renee
- Orzo with Provencal Pesto by Cooking Chat
- Rice Pilaf Amandine by Palatable Pastime
- Roasted Vegetable Salad with Orzo, Mozzarella and Basil by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Southwestern Orzo by The Freshman Cook
- Stovetop Orzo Macaroni and Cheese by Pies and Plots
- Summer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad by My Fearless Kitchen
The Sunday Supper Movement is committed to bringing our readers delicious recipes that encourage them to gather and eat together around the family table. Search for your favorite ingredients on our Sunday Supper website. Also check out the Sunday Supper Pinterest boards for plenty more ideas and inspiration.
Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.
Enjoy!
3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of This Recipe
- How to Use Different Types of Pasta
- Summer Fruits & Vegetables in Season – free printable!
- How to Store Fresh Produce – free printable!
3 More Recipes to Try
Printable Recipe Card for Sumer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad
Summer Vegetable Orzo Pasta Salad #SundaySupper
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo pasta cooked and drained
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
- 3 Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 small summer squash diced
- 1 orange bell pepper diced
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Place cooked orzo pasta in a large bowl. Add canola oil and toss to coat. (This will keep the pasta from sticking together as it cools.) Set the pasta aside.
- Meanwhile, place all chopped vegetables on a lipped baking sheet.
- Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to vegetables and toss to mix.
- Roast vegetables at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Vegetables are done when almost all the juice from the tomatoes has evaporated and the squash is beginning to look "dry.".
- When vegetables are cooked, add them to the pasta bowl and toss well to mix.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Serve cold.
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I love the colors in this dish. It will look great at my next picnic!
I would head straight for this on a buffet table. It’s everything I love about a pasta salad!
It doesn’t feel like spring or summer today, but I’d still love a bowl of your pasta salad! It looks terrific!
I’m up for anything that mentions summer. Now if only the weather would catch up to our cooking 🙂
Be careful what you wish for… I think we went right from winter to the middle of summer here! 🙂
What better way than to trick yourself into thinking it IS summer!?!
Thank you, we love it, too!
Yes, it’s perfect for a picnic!