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1
Begin by cooking your orzo. You can cook the orzo in water in you'd like, I just think cooking it in vegetable broth adds a little bit more flavor. Bring the vegetable broth/water to a boil. Add the orzo and stir. Cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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2
While waiting for the orzo to cook, prepare your pesto. Add the basil leaves and walnuts to a food processor and chop.
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3
Add the minced garlic, lemon, zest, salt and pepper and pulse to combine.
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4
Add the cheese and process. While the food processor is running, add the olive oil in a steady stream. Process until combined.
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5
Add the pesto to the orzo while the orzo is still warm (it makes mixing easier). Set aside.
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6
Toss the halved grape tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Place grape tomatoes cut side down on the grill.
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7
Grill for 1-2 minutes or until charred. Remove from grill and allow to cool.
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8
Place the corn on the cob on the grill, spraying with cooking spray. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until grill marks appear. Set aside and allow to cool. Remove the kernels using a knife. (If using frozen kernels, allow to thaw. Add to a pot over medium high heat and mix until slightly charred).
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9
Chop your cucumber. I like keeping the skin on, but you can peel your cucumber if you want. Combine with the corn and tomatoes.
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10
Mix the vegetables until the orzo mixture and add the mozzarella. I quartered the mozzarella balls to make them a bit smaller. You can use normal mozzarella and cut it into bite size pieces if you want but marinated mozzarella adds even more flavor to this recipe.
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11
Cover and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
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12
Before serving, rinse the beefsteak tomatoes. Cut off the top of each and use a spoon to remove the center and all seeds.
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13
Set on a paper towel, cut side down. When ready to serve, add the orzo mixture to the cut tomatoes. Garnish with additional basil or some mint for an extra pop of flavor.
