Orzo Salad with Corn, Tomatoes, and Basil

I made this at all of my summer get togethers this year and it was always a hit. A really easy and good recipe. I also used canned corn instead of fresh corn and it still came out great. LOVE IT!

I made this side dish with just a few shanges--I used frozen corn as that is what I had on hand, 2 cups of quartered grape tomatoes, 2 t of red wine vinegar and I added some feta cheese at the end. My family ate every morsel!! Will make again and again.

Instead of orzo, I cooked 2/3 cup of Israeli couscous (the big plump kind) in 6 oz. chicken broth. It was wonderful! Also used only 1 cup chopped tomato and one large garlic clove. I also used high quality canned corn in place of fresh. This was incredibly good--so flavorful! Had with the CL Latin baked chicken and cucumbers in sour cream.

These unremarkable ingredients when put together made a very remarkable pasta salad. I had never thought of using orzo in this way and it worked very well. My only complaint is that it was not as good as other pasta salads when made too far in advance. It's made to be eaten immediately.

This is a really easy lunch to make, especially with summer coming up. I loved the dressing--the fresh garlic gave it a kick. I added frozen corn I had boiled, plus 2 packets of crab meat to make it a little heartier. This surely makes a lot, well enough for a family of 5 or 6 depending on serving size. Couldn't wait for anything to cool down, just immediately mixed all together and enjoyed every bite!

This is good, but I'm not going to give it 5 stars. I think it's super tasty and easy. I think the fresher your ingredients the better it's going to come out. I'm just not sure that basil is the right spice for this recipe. I would like to experiment with it a bit and find another spice to use that might compliment the flavors a bit more. The sweet, fresh corn is absolutely delicious though!

Fabulous flavor. I didn't have basil and substituted with fresh spinach (1/3 cut chopped). I tossed the cut corn into a hot pan for about a minute to bring out its sweetness. I also topped with a little blue cheese. I served it with a sliced baguette topped with spreadable goat cheese. Popped those under a broiler for about a minute.