A savory summer dish you’re going to LOVE: this 30 minute grilled vegetable orzo is filled with flavor from sweet & grilled vegetables, tangy goat cheese and warm toasty, nutty brown butter and garden fresh basil. It’s a little bit of a hybrid between my incredible Brown Butter Pistachio Pesto Pasta and my Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo but with a summer veggie twist!
It’s a wonderful pasta dish that’s packed with veggies and perfect for adding your favorite proteins (omg could you imagine this with chicken or shrimp?). Sidney gobbled it up when I first made it for dinner a few years ago, and Tony and I even enjoyed it cold the next day (still incredible). Get this delicious grilled veggie orzo on your dinner menu this week.
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Fall in love with orzo
If you haven’t cooked or eaten orzo, get ready to fall in love with this little grain. Although orzo looks like a form of rice, it’s actually a rice-shaped pasta! You can cook it like you do traditional pasta, or you can cook it the same way you would rice. I find that orzo recipes like this healthy grilled veggie orzo are delicious both hot and cold, so they’re the perfect weekday lunch or dinner.
Everything you’ll need to make this grilled vegetable orzo
Summer veggies, rich brown butter, delicious pasta, and plenty of goat cheese. What more could you ask for?! This vegetarian grilled vegetable orzo is seriously bursting with flavor but so simple to make. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Veggies: we’re using red and orange bell peppers, sweet yellow onion, and of course, a zucchini!
- Seasonings: you’ll need some garlic powder, salt & pepper.
- Pasta: it’s an orzo party, baby! I love the texture of orzo in this dish, but you can feel free to use any pasta you’d like, even gluten free.
- Butter: the secret ingredient that makes this grilled veggie orzo truly magical is beautiful brown butter. YUM.
- Goat cheese: delicious goat cheese crumbles get all nice and creamy when mixed into the orzo.
- Herbs: add plenty of basil leaves for the perfect freshness in every bite.
Customize your grilled vegetable orzo
This delicious grilled veggie orzo is easy to customize with a few ingredient swaps or add-ins. Here’s what I can recommend:
- Add a boost of protein: we love serving this grilled veggie orzo with chickpeas or white beans to keep it vegetarian, or grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp! Seriously I think some grilled shrimp would be INCREDIBLE.
- Choose your veggies: this dish works with any vegetables you like! I chose super summery veggies, but I think broccoli, mushrooms, and brussels sprouts would also be delicious. You could even stir in some spinach at the end, or fold in some grilled corn off the cob!
- Keep it gluten free: feel free to simply use your favorite gluten-free pasta! I like Banza pasta.
- Go dairy free: you can use a vegan buttery stick and your favorite vegan cheese shreds. Please note that you cannot brown vegan/dairy free butter.
Perfectly grilled veggies: 2 different ways
The grilled vegetables add such a wonderful flavor with the delicious char they get when grilled. Here are two ways to do it (and get all of our tips & tricks for grilling vegetables here!)
- Use a grill basket. Preheat your grill to 400 degrees F, season your chopped veggies, and add them to a grill basket. Grill them for 10-15 minutes until they’re tender and have a slight char, and be sure to flip them halfway through.
- Use a foil pack. The foil pack method is another super easy way to grill your vegetables. Place your chopped veggies onto a large piece of foil, then add another large piece of foil on top. Seal the edges and use a fork or knife to poke a hole at the top of the foil to allow some steam to escape. Grill the whole foil pack for approximately 10-15 minutes or until veggies are just fork-tender.
No grill? No problem!
If you don’t have a grill or would rather roast your veggies for this grilled vegetable orzo, you absolutely can. Simply roast the veggies with olive oil on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until veggies are tender — be sure to flip halfway through, too!
How to brown butter
The brown butter is essential for creating a nutty, savory, delicious flavor in this orzo recipe. It’s easier to make than you think! Get all of my tips and tricks for browning butter here.
Storing tips
Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. To reheat simply do so in a microwave safe dish with a splash of milk or water. You can also reheat on the stovetop with a splash of milk/water.
More summer dinners you’ll love
- Zucchini Mac and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Gochujang Chicken Sandwiches
- Vegan Mango Black Bean Green Rice Burrito Bowls
- Chipotle Lime Salmon Tacos with Corn Avocado Peach Salsa & Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
- Avocado & Tomato Chickpea Pasta Salad with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
Get all of my dinner recipes here!
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I hope you love this 30 minute grilled veggie orzo recipe! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
30 Minute Brown Butter Goat Cheese Grilled Veggie Orzo
Ingredients
- For the grilled veggies:
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper, halved or cut into ½” thick strips
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, halved or cut into ½” thick strips
- 1 sweet yellow onion, peeled and quartered (or cut into thick slices)
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ½” thick rounds or strips
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Freshly ground salt and pepper
- For the pasta:
- 8 oz orzo pasta (1 cup dried orzo)
- ⅓ cup reserved pasta water
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ½ cup goat cheese crumbles
- Optional: 1 (15 ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 8-10 large basil leaves, julienned (about 1/3 cup packed basil)
- Freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- First grill your veggies: preheat grill to 400 degrees. Place veggies in a large bowl, then drizzle them with olive oil, garlic powder and season with salt and pepper.
- GRILL BASKET OPTION: Grill veggies in a grill basket for 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender and slightly charred; be sure to toss them halfway through cooking. Once the veggies are done cooking and have cooled a bit, you can chop them up to your liking. I like to chop the bell peppers, slice the onions and quarter the zucchini slices.
- FOIL OPTION FOR GRILLING: Place chopped veggies onto a large piece of foil, then add another large piece of foil on top. Seal the edges by folding a piece of foil together. Use a fork or knife to poke a hole at the top of the foil to allow some steam to escape. Place over direct heat on the preheated grill and grill for approximately 10-15 minutes or until veggies are just fork tender.
- While your veggies are grilling you can make your brown butter: add butter to a large saucepan or skillet and place over medium heat. The butter will begin to melt, crackle, and then eventually foam. Make sure you stir constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan, this usually happens right when it foams. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Set aside to cool a bit (keeping butter in the pan but removing pan from heat) while you cook your pasta.
- Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package.
- Once pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/3 cup pasta water and set aside, then drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the brown butter. Give it a nice stir to coat all the pasta with the brown butter, then immediately add in the goat cheese and reserved pasta water; stir until nice and creamy and the goat cheese has melted. Finally, add in all of the chopped grilled veggies, and generously season with salt and pepper to taste (I like a lot of black pepper!). Finally fold in the fresh julienned basil. Serve immediately. This pasta is excellent served warm or cold.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on August 2nd, 2021, and republished on July 1st, 2024.
Hi Monique everything i have ever made with your recipes are awesome . This one not so much I onlly put 1/4 cup butter but it overwhelmed the pasta so much i couldnt eat it
So strange! I’ve always found that 1/4 cup of butter with a big bowl of vegetables and pasta just adds a hint of flavor. Was the brown butter flavor too strong? Feel free to just toss everything in melted butter if you’d like.
This is on repeat at my family’s house every spring and summer. We started making this two summers ago and it continues to be a hit. My husband, who is sooo picky, begs for the “orzo salad” whenever he fires up the grill. My kids love it too! It’s best warm, but I like it cold for leftovers too!
So happy to hear that! We make this ALL the time, too.
This recipe has been a lifesaver in my pregnancy. I’ve been so sick and can barely stand to eat a vegetable. This orzo is so creamy and tasty, and I feel grateful for all the soft veggies I’m eating. It also doesn’t trigger my heartburn. Thank you for helping me eat home cooked meals again, Monique!
I’m so glad you found this one! Such a great way to sneak some veggies in. I hope you start feeling better soon!
Love love love! This will for sure be in my summer dinner rotation. It’s so easy to make and with little effort. I’m planning on eating leftovers tomorrow for lunch cold. My only notes are that I think a whole onion was slightly too much (I’ll probably do 3/4 next time) and if you like red pepper flakes they take it up a notch. I prefer green peppers, so I added one in the recipe and it turned out great and helped with the amount of onion.
This one’s great for customizing! Glad you enjoyed (and yes, feel free to reduce the amount of onion!)
Monique has converted me into an orzo fanatic. I used feta cheese because that’s what I had on hand & added leftover cooked chicken & it was delicious. So easy to make, too.
So good! One of my all time fav grains (as you can probably tell!)
Absolutely lovely! I forgot goat cheese when I went to the store but had some of the Boursin cheese and used that instead. It was delicious. I love all the veggies in it! Thank you for this one!
Love that swap! So delicious. Glad you enjoyed!
Absolutely amazing!!!!! I made this for a potluck and I just wanted to eat the whole batch myself!! I am not the biggest goat cheese fan but the melted goat cheese + the brown butter and fresh veggies was such a good combo!
Love that!! One of our favs, too 🙂
I’m enjoying this as I write my comments! I live in an apartment w/o balcony so no grill. I did modify because I didn’t have peppers or goat cheese. I used baby broccoli in place of peppers and added cashew plant cheese at the end. Also had Trader Joes pesto instead of fresh basil as a finishing touch. I love your recipes!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂
This was delicious. Used whole wheat orzo and roasted the chickpeas along with the veggies in the oven. Really great dish that tastes rich. Great job!
Love that! Glad it was a hit!
My family loves this recipe!! It’s the favorite in our meatless Monday rotation. We use the recommended chick peas for protein and also like to add mini mozzarella pearls! My kiddo lives with type1 diabetes, and the combo of fat, fiber and protein in this meal makes it great for her blood sugar!
Ah yay! This is so great to hear Ashley. I am so glad you’re loving this recipe and it turned out great for you 🙂
Thanks for yet another winning recipe Monique! Husband and I LOVED this! The brown butter and goat cheese made this taste amazing!!
Ah this is so great, I am so glad you are both loving this recipe ❤️
This is one of my favorite recipes I go back to over and over! The brown butter is a game changer and the goat cheese is the perfect pairing.
YUM! So glad you are loving this recipe, Katie!
This was delicious! I added some roasted broccoli & extra black pepper, but skipped the chick peas. My husband and I loved it, and will definitely add it to our rotation!
YUM! So glad you both loved this recipe 🙂
This was so good. Only changes I did was I added mushrooms to the veggies and roasted them instead of grilling. While the butter was browning, I added some shrimp, cooked quickly, took out and continued with the rest of the recipe. Another winner!
Sounds amazing! Love the addition of the shrimp. Thanks for commenting!
This was a big win. Easy and super tasty! I left out the chickpeas as my husband isn’t a huge fan and added some grilled chicken. I also added a few red pepper flakes for a bit of spice. The brown butter and goat cheese flavor came through nicely. Thanks for a great recipe!
Ah this is the best! So glad this recipe turned out great for you 😍
This recipe has been added to my weekly rotation. It’s a great weeknight dinner with minimal pre planning required. I’ll usually oven roast the veggies and mix up what I use based on what I have on hand and need to use up. My meat loving husband loves it also (but will usually add bacon to his).
My family loved this! A great way to use up a variety of veggies—we used onion, peppers, mushrooms, and spinach.
This is super yummy and easy!
Yay! So glad you loved this recipe. Easy and delicious 🙂
I love this recipe so much! I have celiac and have replaced the orzo with GF rotini or other pasta before, but tonight I made it with Jovial brand cassava orzo (from Whole Foods) and it was AMAZING. It was by far the best gluten free version I’ve made! 🙂
YAY! Happy to hear it came out great
Easy recipe to make when you get home from work and need to get kids and husband fed quick. I even sautéed veggies ahead of time to add to the orzo for quick dinners
A nice easy summer meal! 4 stars because I think it could have slightly more flavor. Would recommend tho!
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Some folks have suggested adding a little lemon juice at the end!
Absolutely love this so much and we will definitely make and eat it again. Only reason for not 5 stars is having to add a protein. We added cod which was great but wanted the flavors to mix a little better. Love the pasta base with goat cheese and black pepper. I also included eggplant which was a yummy addition!!
We got a bunch of zucchini and basil in our CSA this week, and I knew immediately I wanted to make this recipe! I added grilled shrimp on top and it completely tasted like summer in a bowl. So good! #AKDinnerParty
So good! Not a goat cheese fan, so substituted feta, as per other suggestions. Used broccoli, asparagus, tomatoes, onion, and zucchini, as my partner isn’t a huge bell pepper fan. Turned out great, and would definitely make again. #AKDinnerParty
I thought this was excellent, and my husband agreed! I almost used feta instead of goat cheese, but I’m glad I used the goat cheese. It went nicely with the brown butter. I used cannellini beans because that’s what I had on hand. I’ll definitely make this again! #akdinnerparty
Made it with some fresh veggies from the farmers market! Loved it! #AKDinnerParty
Nice! I bet they were extra flavorful 🙂 Thanks for the review, Kelsey!
super easy to veganize and swap recipes according to what I have on hand! yummm #akdinnerparty
I’m so happy you enjoyed it and that the vegan swaps tasted amazing! Thanks, Melissa 🥰
Hi!
I made this for dinner tonight. I forgot to save the pasta water so used vegetable broth.I added grilled chicken & chickpeas. It was very blah so I warmed some Italian dressing & that made a world of difference. Does the pasta water make that much of a difference?
Hello! Sorry you found it “blah.” The pasta water helps it get really creamy and saucy, which is essential to the texture of this dish. But glad to hear the addition of the Italian dressing worked well!
This recipe is amazing! I served with grilled chicken but honestly, it’s perfect as is and really didn’t need anything to go with it. I’ll be making this all summer long! #AKDinnerParty
Yay!! So glad you loved this one, Holly! Thanks for coming to the party 🥳
I left out the onion for a family member but that didn’t matter, the taste of this was amazing! The creaminess was divine and I loved it hot as well as cold. So good! Used stelline pasta instead of orzo because that’s all I could find but texture was still 10/10.
#AKDinnerparty
I’m SO happy you enjoyed it, Julie! And I just looked up that pasta. Sounds like the most adorable shape!!
I thought this recipe was super simple and tasty. It was a great combination of being rich and comforting but also lightened up with all the veggies. I changed the goat cheese to vegan cheese and thought it still came out great. Overall I love how this recipe is very customizable.
#AKDINNERPARTY
Thank you so much, Siena! So happy you came to the party 🙂
So good! I ended up adding both chicken and chickpeas, and also added some toasted pine nuts. SO good!
Nice!! Ooh pine nuts are an excellent addition. I need to try that 🙂
Easy and flavorful recipe! Love all the options for add ins too. This is my favorite type of meal; fresh veggies and lots of flavor. Easy to prepare also.
So glad you loved it, Julie! It’s my kinda dinner, too 🙂
#AKDinnerParty Loved this recipe! The brown butter and goat cheese on the orzo really makes this a particularly great summer meal.
Yay!! So happy you joined the party ☺️
#AKDinnerParty
This was delicious served with grilled shrimp. Used the grill basket to grill the peppers, zucchini and onions. I’m looking forward to making this again this summer with whatever grillable veggies are in season!
Grilling baskets are the best! SO happy you loved it, Carla 🙂
So easy and absolutely delicious! Definitely a winner.
Oh dear. This was a huge hit! Made it tonight for my family and this recipe was loved by all! I didn’t have enough orzo, so i used penne. It was still fantastic.
Penne’s an awesome sub! I’m so happy you all loved it, Heather 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight as a side with grilled chicken. My husband and 2 year old loves it. Next time I might try adding sausage per my husband’s suggestion.
This is an 11/10 recipe. Light, customizable, and delicious!! This has quickly become a staple in our home. I’ve gotten so many compliments when I’ve made this for friends and I hate to blow my cover and admit how easy it is!
This was sooo good! Added grilled chicken and it was an easy delicious meal. I’ll definitely be adding this to the staples list. If you’re scared of goat cheese, don’t be. I purchased mine from Trader Joe’s and it was so light and creamy with just a touch of tang. Definitely a good intro to goat cheese if you’re nervous to try it.