I’ve been on a summer clean eating kick, with my heirloom tomato salad and my fresh frisee salad. Today’s dish is another favorite recipe of mine that celebrates so many simple summer flavors all in one bite. Welcome to my orzo salad with sautéed zucchini and corn, Fava Beans, shallots and cilantro.
I’ve always loved orzo; it works so well in a dish when you need some sort of carb or starch, but want to make sure the vegetables are the star of the show. I gravitate to this rice-shaped pasta especially when sautéing zucchini, squash and fresh summer corn zipped from the cob. Like pasta, it will pick up any flavor you’re cooking it up with. It’s also great to have on hand because you can cook it in bulk, freeze it, or even keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days to use with salads, side dishes and soups.
You’ll also notice I use Fava Beans here; a smoother, richer bean than any else. Fava beans may be new to some, and truthfully they aren’t the easiest to find, but if you see them please give them a try! This delicate bean gives an almost creamy consistency to each forkful, and feels like a treat to eat by the time you’re done preparing it. Before they’re peeled, they look like an overgrown sweet pea, and they MUST be double-peeled before cooking (a little lesson I learned from (Food Network’s Chopped). Here’s a great how-to if it’s your first time peeling the beans.
The rest of the ingredients for my orzo salad really speak for themselves, and preparing for this simple dish as I’ve shared below is as straight-forward as you’ll find. As for the shrimp skewers: they’re just as easy and can be prepared and grilled in less than 10 minutes. Simply toss the shrimp (after peeling and deveining of course) in any spicy seasoning (I prefer THIS one or Old Bay, and is also what I use for the zucchini) and place onto skewer sticks for quick grilling. And in fact, this entire meal is one of those 30-minute-and-under gems! But something to note: there is a lot of multi-tasking that needs to happen for this recipe, so take your time and read through the recipe in its entirety before beginning, and have all your components prepped and ready to go. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
- 1-11/2 peeled and deveined shrimp
- 3 ears of corn, zipped
- 2 zucchini halved lengthwise
- 1/2 lb. orzo
- 1/2 lb. fava beans peeled
- 1 large shallot, diced
- juice of 2 fresh limes
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil
- Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- spicy seasoning, or Old Bay
- Cayenne Pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees, light/start your grill.
- Toss your shrimp with a tsp. of olive oil and spicy seasoning, place on skewers and set aside.
- Toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spicy seasoning. Place on a roasting pan and roast for approximately 10 minutes or until zucchini is tender and cooked through, but not mushy.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the orzo al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water and set aside.
- While zucchini is roasting and the orzo is cooking heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium/high heat in a large saute pan or dutch oven. Add shallots and cook till translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add corn and fava beans cook an additional 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While everything is sautéing place your shrimp on the grill and cook 2 minutes per side.
- Add orzo to your corn and bean mixture, plus 2 additional tablespoons of olive oil, a pinch (or two) of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Cook an additional 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- On a large platter lightly mix the orzo mixture, zucchini, fresh cilantro, a bit more cayenne (if you like it spicy, salt and pepper. Serve with shrimp skewers.
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