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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.
Ingredients
- Zucchini or yellow summer squash
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic, chopped
- Shallot
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Fresh corn
- Chili flakes
- Dry orzo pasta
- Basil pesto
- Havarti or mozzarella cheese
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Fresh basil
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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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!
This post was originally published on July 11, 2022
I made this tonight. OMG!!! Amazing. I cut the recipe in half. Prior to cooking I reached out to Tieghan to ask about cutting the amount of water in half, which we both thought was right considering I was using half the orzo. Of note, I have Celiac Disease so I was using GF Orzo (Jovial Cassava Orzo) which was really good. Anyway, I ended up toasting the orzo before adding it to the pan with the zucchini and then I ended up cooking it on the stove top instead of the oven so I could keep a closer eye on the liquid. I probably ended up using 2 1/4 cups of liquid. I put it back in the oven on broil when I added the cheese. This was so good! Such a wonderful summer side dish, although I ate it as a meal. Teighan, this is a total winner! Thank you so much and thank you for responding to my insta question so quickly! If you have not made this yet, get to it!
Hey Cari!!
Awesome!! Thanks again for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, I’m sure it will be helpful for others to read! Hope you’re having a great Sunday! xTieghan
This recipe popped up in either my email or social feed last night (please don’t judge the poor recollection, it was Friday night and I had imbibed). Anyway, I awoke this morning and decided it was to be dinner tonight.
The aromas from the roasting of the squash, zucchini, shallot, garlic and herbs, layered upon the stage with the addition of the pesto and then the cheese… well, our mouths were watering with anticipation. The final result and first taste did not disappoint. This recipe checks all the boxes, easy prep, one dish prep, and extremely flavorful. This will certainly be on repeat.
Hi Matt!
Thanks so much for your kind message and sharing your feedback! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a hit! xxT
How do you think this recipe would do frozen? Looking for some good zucchini freezer meals and this looks delicious 🙂
Hi Bethany,
I think that would be just fine for you to do! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Delicious! I made a streamlined version with just yellow squash (Didn’t have zucchini or corn), only used pesto for the seasoning, and topped with a little Parmesan instead of the blend of cheeses. Such a great quick and summery dish! Even my 18 month daughter loved it and ate it by the fistfull! This is one I’ll be keeping in our rotation.
Hi Sarah!
Thanks so much for your kind message and sharing your review, I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xx
I just made this! I used squash, basil and walnut pesto I bought at our farmers market. I used less orzo and pesto but added 1 cup of ricotta to make it a bit creamier….I’m dead. It was amazing. ?
Hey Brooke,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner:)
hi! i’m prepping meals for post-baby. do you think this would freeze well?
Hi Josie,
Sure, I think that would work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Do you think this would be tasty with chicken pieces cooked into it? I haven’t tried the recipe yet so I’m debating whether to alter it at all before trying it.
Hi Mary,
Totally, I think that would work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
What about subbing toasted Israeli couscous for the orzo….?
Hi Chelsea,
That sounds like it could work, I am just not positive about the water/couscous ratio. Please let me know if you give the dish a try! xTieghan
So excited to take this to work with me the next few nights I work overnight in the hospital and look forward to a nice meal this is deff added to my rotation of easy work day meal preps for as long as I can get zucchini lol thanks for always giving us these yummy recipes
Thank you so much for your kind message Brittany!! I hope you love the recipe:) xTieghan
I made this recipe for two. Loved it. We are not to crazy about corn so i used mushrooms instead, sauteed them first. Then used chicken broth instead of water. Froze leftovers.
Hey Genevieve,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and making this recipe! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xTieghan
Made it tonight. Used canned corn (too late to pick up fresh). It was so delicious and yummy. For the question about how much squash–I eyed her video and used a similar looking amount in the same size pan–because, yes, sizes of squash can vary greatly at this time of year!! Such an easy and yummy weeknight meal.
Hey Susan,
Amazing!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xTieghan
Cooked or raw corn and it cooks in oven?
Hi Wendy,
You are using raw corn for this recipe, it will cook in the dish:) Please let me know if you have any other questions!!
Could rice be a gluten free option for this recipe? It sounds delicious but I avoid orzo☹️
Hi Linda,
Rice is going to cook differently than orzo, I would try using arborio rice, I think that would be your best bet. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I just made it with Arborio rice and it was great! Added 1/2 cup more liquid (I used chicken broth instead of water) and 5 minutes cooking time. I also covered it with foil while it baked then removed foil when I added the cheese.
Hi Kayla,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback and making this recipe! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xTieghan
Hey I think any gluten free pasta would probably work but maybe roast everything with out the pasta and water and addd pasta cooked drained and rinsed stir and do the cheese step? It’s worth trying I think it’s one of the best recipes I have tasted in awhile !
Would frozen corn work ?
Hi Leah,
Yes, that would work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
Because we have a giant amount of basil, I made the Lemon Basil Pesto from your HBH Super Simple book in this. It was so delicious, and everyone was eating it right out of the pan. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Hey Greta,
Happy Friday!!? I am thrilled to hear the lemon basil pesto was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
Do you have a guesstimate on how many cups of zucchini? My garden is producing some mega huge zucchini!
Hey Kelly,
I would say about 2 cups of zucchini:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan