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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 post was originally published on July 16, 2020
So tasty and so beautiful! Love your recipes! (I did make it vegetarian)
I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Loved this beautiful bowl of deliciousness! Perfect for a summer meal on the deck…full of fresh seasonal corn and herbs from the garden! Love prosciutto but did not have any on hand so I used thick cut bacon…left overs were good cold the next day ?
Love that!! Thank you so much Lisa!! xTieghan
This recipe is beyond delish! Wonderful summertime side or main dish. Please only use fresh grilled corn, as it makes this dish. I added grilled shrimp and asparagus. Outstanding!
Thank you so much Karen!! xTieghan
Delicious! And very easy once everything is chopped! My kids (4 and 9) gobbled this up too 🙂
Love that! Thank you for trying this one, Emily! xTieghan
Delicious, as usual. Love the tomatoes, the sweet grilled corn and the salty prosciutto. Will definitely be making it again.
Love to hear that! Thank you Liz! xTieghan
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious. Can’t get enough of the thyme and butter combo and really loved the little kick from the jalapeño. I don’t like raw tomatoes so I roasted mines first and it was great – every recipe I’ve made of yours has turned out so well. Can’t wait for the leftovers!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Amy! Thank you so much! xTieghan
EXCELLENT! Loved all the fresh herbs. I used my lemon basil from the garden.
Amazing!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
crispy prosciutto is my secret weapon! i love to serve it with breakfast in place of bacon. much less fat and deliciously salty and light. once tomatoes and corn are ripe here (a few more weeks still) i WILL be making this! looks amazing.
Thank you Leanne!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Delightful! Used this after we got our farm share with corn this week.
Thank you Bailey! xTieghan
Tieghan, this was a perfect summer night dinner outside. Didn’t fire up the grill so I roasted the corn on the cobb. I also added some roasted shrimp.
This was another fantastic recipe. Thank you!
Aw I am really happy to hear that, Jan!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
I had started cooking when i was 14 yrs old. i love to cook. one of the best thing about cooking is you can cook any recipe. Cooking on your own is an art. and i love that href=”https://menhealthblogs.com/5-crazy-myths-about-masturbation/”>Art
Thank you! xTieghan
Another HBH home run! Next time I’ll half the recipe (for 2) but use the called for amount of prosciutto. It’s so good! Oh yeah, we added grilled shrimp. So; so good! I’ve got 2 more HBH recipes lined up for this weekend. Thank you!
Yes!! Love to hear that! Thank you for trying this one, Jile! I hope you love the other two this week! xTieghan
Tieghan- I am loving some of your most recent recipe postings with corn! I made this recipe tonight with fresh farm corn- and it is delicious!
Every time I make dinner and it’s a hit, my daughters know it’s HBH 🙂
Just so you know- you’re part of our family dinner most nights of the week! Thank you!
Aw that is so amazing to hear! I am so glad you have been loving my recipes and I hope you continue to! Thank you Kristen! xTieghan
Can this be made with canned corn? If so, what is the best way to adapt the recipe for that?
Hey,
I would just drain the canned corn and follow the recipe as is! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
OMG Tieghan this looks amazing!!! I don’t have a grill and I don’t love steamed corn. Do you think it would work to roast the corn while caramelizing the shallots? I love all of your recipes!! 🙂
Hey Becca,
Yes that sounds like such a great idea! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan