Summer Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables
For a refreshing taste of summer, this Summer Orzo Salad hits the spot. This pasta salad is loaded with fresh summer vegetables and marinated tofu. It’s vegan, easy to make and modify!
This past weekend, we were able to finally spend some time outside. I feel I’ve been staring at the same wall for what seems like forever, and the opportunity to spend some time outdoors on my in-laws deck just sounded absolutely perfect. So we indulged.
Enjoyed some warm rays, got some sweat on my brow at the hottest points of the day, but in it’s odd way it was refreshing. Just getting fresh air felt very rejuvenating to me. And couldn’t have asked for a better weekend to do it especially with many of these days feeling like perfect summer days.
The warmer weather always puts me in a mood for less oven use, more grilling, ice cold drinks, and anything easy to toss together. So, as soon as I got home from this mini vacation, I pulled out the veggies my mother in-law sent us home with and a bit of orzo so I could make this Summer Orzo Salad. Refreshing, easy to make and tastes like a nice breezy summer day.
Key Ingredients
- Orzo: Love this as a pasta option, but you can swap out your pasta choice or even go completely gluten free by opting for quinoa.
- Corn: Provides a little touch of natural sweetness.
- Zucchini: Grilled zucchini is simple, but so flavorful in this dish.
- Onion: I used red onions, but you can use your favorites or just opt for scallions if desired.
- Tofu: We are using extra firm tofu for this recipe, but you can easily make this using super firm tofu.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a nice fresh tang to the tofu and salad.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Provides additional sourness to the marinade that works well to flavor the tofu.
- Nutritional Yeast: A way to add umami flavor without the cheese to make this recipe dairy free.
- Dry Herbs: Feel free to use fresh, but to make this quick, I just used dried herbs in this salad.
How to Make this Summer Orzo Salad
Combine your marinade ingredients and toss it together with your pressed tofu and let it sit to marinade as you prepare your other ingredients.
Use a grill pan or indoor grill to grill up your vegetables. I grilled some fresh corn, onions, and zucchini then set aside.
Cook your orzo pasta according to the directions, drain and then add to a large mixing bowl. Cut the kernels away from the corn and add to the bowl. Toss in your grilled vegetables and pour in your marinated tofu along with the marinade itself into the mixing bowl.
Toss the salad together until well combined and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
Tips for Making this Bowl of Orzo Salad
- To minimize the mess of cutting corn on the cob, cut your kernels into the bowl. Place one end of the cob in the bowl and glide your knife from one end to the other to remove the kernels from the cob without them rolling away.
- Cook your orzo according to the package. You just want to cook it until it’s al dente and then drain well, no rinsing required. Once drained, add to the bowl along with the corn kernels.
- Cut your tofu into smaller cubes. These smaller pieces will have an easier time absorbing the marinade compared to large pieces. I cut my tofu into 16 equal pieces, but you can do smaller cuts.
- To save time, feel free to use pre-grilled vegetables or regular roasted vegetables.
Storing Your Salad
This salad can be served warm or cold. For best flavor, allow salad to marinate in the fridge for up to 1 hour before serving. The longer it sits, the more flavor infuses into the tofu and orzo. Place leftovers in an airtight container, and place the container into a fridge for up to 5 days.
More Summer Salad Ideas
Summer Orzo Salad with Grilled Vegetables
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
For a refreshing taste of summer, this Summer Orzo Salad hits the spot. This pasta salad is loaded with fresh summer vegetables and marinated tofu. It’s vegan, easy to make and modify!
Ingredients
- 1 (450 g) block extra firm tofu
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp dry basil
- 1/2 tsp dry oregano
- 1/2 tsp dry thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup fire roasted corn (freshly grilled or frozen corn works well)
- 1 zucchini, sliced
- 1/2 red onion, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups dry orzo
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a container, add your oil, garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and herbs.
- Cube your tofu into bite size pieces and add to the container with the marinade, seal it and give a good shake to coat the tofu completely, then set aside.
- To a grill pan or griddle set to medium-high heat, add a little oil and begin to grill your zucchini, onion and corn with a generous amount of salt. Allow to cook on both sides until vegetables are cooked through and appear to have grill marks. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Cook orzo according to package, then drain and add to a large mixing bowl.
- To the mixing bowl, add in grilled corn, zucchini, tomatoes and top with your marinated tofu and nutritional yeast.
- Gently, toss everything together to combine and adjust salt and pepper to taste. For best flavor, make sure to allow salad to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Notes
To minimize the mess of cutting corn on the cob, cut your kernels into the bowl. Place one end of the cob in the bowl and glide your knife from one end to the other to remove the kernels from the cob without them rolling away.
Cook your orzo according to the package. You just want to cook it until it’s al dente and then drain well, no rinsing required. Once drained, add to the bowl along with the corn kernels.
Cut your tofu into smaller cubes. These smaller pieces will have an easier time absorbing the marinade compared to large pieces. I cut my tofu into 16 equal pieces, but you can do smaller cuts.
To save time, feel free to use pre-grilled vegetables or regular roasted vegetables.
Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought in the comments below! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats
★ Catherine
I absolutely love this! In fact I’m about to make it for the 3rd time in 2 months I love it so much. The marinated tofu alone is so good! I would be happy to just eat it, but mix it in with the orzo and grilled veggies and the whole salad is summer perfection!
Oh my goodness! That is the best compliment. I adore this tofu so much and so glad you enjoyed it too! So happy! 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and we loved it! Added a little extra drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice at the end then topped with a little of the Follow Your Heart feta. So good!!!
So yummy! Filling, healthy, and great late summer dish! The tofu was so tasty and with a touch of salt, a perfect vegan replacement for feta. Added a touch of pesto at the end!