Late Summer Garden Orzo Salad with Grilled Corn, Tomatoes & Arugula
Fresh grilled corn, garden tomatoes, peppery arugula and whole-wheat orzo tossed in a light, no-added-salt vinaigrette and finished with shaved Parmesan.
There comes a point every September when everyone seems ready to move on to apples, pumpkin and all things fall.
I’m usually not quite there yet.
Especially when I’m still walking out to my patio and picking fresh tomatoes from my container garden. If summer is still giving me tomatoes and sweet corn, I’m going to keep eating them!
This Late Summer Garden Orzo Salad is exactly the kind of food I love to make. This easy summer orzo salad is fresh and colorful, doesn’t require a lot of fuss, and makes the most of ingredients that are at their best right now.
And, like many of the things I make, the recipe came together from a little inspiration here, a cooking trick there, and what I happened to have on hand.
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A Little Inspiration—and Then I Make It My Own
I rarely cook from just one source of inspiration. Over the years, I’ve picked up little tips and tricks from chefs, cookbooks, food bloggers, friends and plenty of trial and error in my own kitchen.
Then I make it work for us.
For this salad, I started with the flavors of the Greek salad dressing from Cucina by Elena. I loved the bright combination of olive oil, lemon, red wine vinegar, garlic and oregano.
Because we’re mindful of sodium in our house, I leave the added salt out. There’s plenty of flavor happening here, and the shaved Parmesan adds the salty bite I’m looking for.
I also add a splash of water to my vinaigrette, a trick I picked up from Food Network chef Alex Guarnaschelli. I’ve found that it helps the dressing come together beautifully and keeps it from separating as quickly—especially handy when I make extra and store it in the refrigerator.
That’s pretty representative of how I cook. Take a little inspiration from here, a technique from there, use what’s fresh, and make it your own.
Why You’ll Love This Salad
The star of this salad may actually be the corn.
I roasted fresh corn on the grill before cutting it from the cob, which gives it a little smoky flavor and sweetness. If you don’t want to grill it, don’t let that stop you. Fresh corn cut from the cob is wonderful, too.
Then there are the tomatoes. Mine came straight from the container garden on my patio, which makes me ridiculously happy this time of year. Store-bought cherry tomatoes or farmers-market tomatoes will work just as well.
The peppery arugula keeps the pasta salad from feeling heavy, while red onion adds a little bite. And then comes the shaved Parmesan.
Could you leave it off?
Sure.
Would I?
No. 😂
I would much rather skip the salt in my dressing and use that sodium where I can really taste and enjoy it.
Late Summer Garden Orzo Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 package whole-wheat orzo
- 1½ cups fresh corn preferably grilled and cut from the cob
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 3 cups fresh arugula plus more if desired
- ½ cup thinly sliced red onion
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
- Greek-style vinaigrette to taste
Instructions
- Cook the orzo. Prepare the whole-wheat orzo according to the package directions. Drain and allow it to cool.
- Grill the corn. Grill fresh ears of corn until tender with a little char on the outside. Allow them to cool enough to handle, then carefully cut the kernels from the cob. You’ll need about 1½ cups.
- Prep your vegetables. Halve the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the red onion and wash and dry the arugula.
- Put it all together. In a large serving bowl, combine the cooled orzo, grilled corn, tomatoes and red onion. Add the vinaigrette a little at a time and toss.
- Add the greens. Gently fold in the arugula. I like plenty of greens in mine, so feel free to add another handful.
- Finish with Parmesan. Top with shaved Parmesan and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately or chill until you’re ready to eat.
For the Vinaigrette
For the dressing, I use the Greek-style vinaigrette from Cucina by Elena as my inspiration, with a couple of changes for the way we eat: I omit the added salt and add a splash of water. The water helps the vinaigrette emulsify and keeps it from separating as quickly, especially if you're storing leftover dressing in the refrigerator.See the original Greek dressing recipe from Cucina by Elena
Nutrition
My Low-Sodium Tip: Use Sodium Where It Matters
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from cooking lower sodium is that everything doesn’t have to be completely sodium-free.
Instead, I think about where the sodium is actually adding something to the dish.
For this salad, I don’t miss salt in the vinaigrette at all. The lemon, vinegar, garlic, oregano, fresh vegetables and grilled corn are already bringing a ton of flavor.
But the Parmesan?
That’s worth it to me.
Leaving the added salt out of the dressing gives me room to use an ingredient like Parmesan where a relatively small amount adds a lot of flavor.
That’s the kind of practical swap that has made lower-sodium cooking sustainable in our home.
Make It a Meal
This salad is substantial enough for a light lunch, but it’s also a great side for my grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp recipes.
If you’re entertaining, make most of it ahead of time but wait to add the arugula, Parmesan and final splash of dressing until shortly before serving. That keeps everything fresh instead of letting the arugula wilt while it sits in the refrigerator.
And don’t be afraid to change it based on what you have.
Have yellow tomatoes? Use them. No whole-wheat orzo? Regular orzo works. Didn’t grill the corn? Fresh corn is still delicious.
Recipes are a starting point. Make them work for your kitchen.
One Last Taste of Summer
Pretty soon I’ll be ready for soups, roasted vegetables and all those cozy fall dinners.
But not quite yet.
As long as there are tomatoes growing on my patio and fresh corn available, I’m hanging onto summer a little longer.
And honestly, a big bowl of this on the table isn’t a bad way to do it.
It’s All About Balance,
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