One-Pan Zucchini-Pesto Orzo
Updated May 17, 2024
- Total Time
- 25 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2medium zucchini (about 6 ounces each), diced (about 2½ cups)
- 1large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- ¼ to ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes, to taste, more as needed
- 1½teaspoons fine sea salt, more to taste
- 1¾cups vegetable or chicken stock
- 1cup orzo
- 1lemon, zested and halved
- 1cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- 5ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes (1 cup)
- ½cup grated Parmesan (3 ounces), more for serving
- ¼cup finely chopped mint, more for serving
- ½cup pesto, store-bought or homemade, more to taste
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
579 calories; 38 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 962 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
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Step 1
In a large nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, combine the zucchini and onion with olive oil, the red-pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook the mixture, stirring once or twice, until the zucchini and onion turn golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Don’t stir too often, as it can impede browning.
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Step 2
Stir in stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in orzo, lemon zest and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until orzo is nearly cooked through and most of the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 14 minutes, stirring once or twice.
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Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss together the tomatoes, mozzarella, a pinch of salt, a pinch of red-pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil, and let marinate while the orzo cooks.
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Step 4
Once the orzo is ready, stir in juice of ½ lemon, Parmesan, mint and pesto. Cover the pan, and cook for 1 minute, to finish cooking. Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice or pesto, if needed. To serve, top with tomato-mozzarella mixture and sprinkle with more cheese and mint.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Deb LaF.
To me the execution and resultant product was a train wreck! It looked more like gruel than food and was a total turn off. Cook your orzo in boiling salted water. Drain set aside to al dente perfection. Sautee the onions and zucchini separately and then combine with orzo, season with salt and pepper and red pepper and lemon juice, add olive oil, lemon zest. Proceed with the mozz and tomatoes and mint. This preserves the integrity of ingredients and is much more appealing. Tastes good but...
Pierre Le Chat
I can not imagine cooking the orzo in the zucchini/onion mix - would it not become a sodden mess? It seems to make much more sense to cook the orzo in stock separately. Or am I too fastidious?
benny cooks a lot
Tasty but should double the zucchini used.
j stewart
was looking for a quick and tasty dinner and this was it! my garden is throwing me zuccs, tomatoes and mint. had some pesto in the freezer and dang, it was dinner. i thought i had some orzo in the pantry, but came up with another small grained greek pasta and substituted that. very wonderful!
tim
Delicious. On timing, it says step 1 takes 10-12 minutes. Step 2 takes 10-14 minutes. So I’m at a loss as to how the whole recipe can take only 10 minutes.
Dave
I put mine in a ziplock bag and press the air out, then roll it into logs. Keeps for a year frozen.
Sally
This is a delicious summer meal! Per others' notes, I cooked the orzo, onions and zucchini separately. While the orzo cooked in one pot, I sauteed the onions with red pepper on medium heat in another pan, until soft but not browned. I removed the onions from the pan and sauteed the zucchini on medium-high 'til nice and brown, then added the onions, orzo and pesto to the pan with the zucchini to leverage the lovely caramelization from the veggies. Such a lovely combo of flavors!
Therese
I made this as written, with Marcella Hazens pesto. It is delicious. Summer on a plate, would not change a thing except next time I will double the recipe.
geelarsen
My husband t this but I did think it was a bit salty. Be sure to taste your pesto and adjust the salt accordingly. The zucchini and onions cook down quite a bit but gel into a silky texture with the orzo, so I didn’t have the issue with the “mess” other reviewers did. I added a can of chick peas for protein which I thought worked beautifully. This will be in regular rotation.
Lisa
Need to fix the time. There is about 25 minutes on the stove after the time it takes to prep everything. But even those who claimed not to like zucchini enjoyed this — the zucchini hid in all that cheese and pesto.
Sara M
I also found cooking the zucchini, onion and orzo together gave a mushy result that was not visually appealing. Will do the orzo separately next time and then combine. Otherwise yummy and easy to improvise with summer bounty.
maybe use quinoa?
Sub quinoa for orzo for a gf alternative
Rob Q
So good! I agree with using a dutch oven-- even my largest nonstick pan was too small for all of the tasty ingredients!
Kate
I use ice cube trays - two different sizes. Once they're frozen I put them into ziplock bags. Works perfectly - I'm curious about a recommendation to leave an ingredient out.
KrisBria
The cheese, as per Marcella Hazan
sheri
Wow! This is one of the most delicious recipes I’ve made from NYT. Do yourself a favor and don’t listen to the people who say to cook everything separately. I followed the recipe as written and it was perfection. The flavors are over the top!
Andy
Boil the pesto in water as instructed on package. If you simmer in stock, it gets mushy. Also, dice - don’t slice - the onion!
Hisees
I took the advice of others. I cooked the pasta separately (I used mini shells!). In my Dutch oven I sautéed the onions for a bit then the zucchini, letting it brown up a bit. I added all the other ingredients to the onion mixture, then the cooked pasta. I didn't need any pasta water to sauce it up. It is DELICIOUS!
G
This was amazing--wish I'd used more zucchini! I used the vegan pesto from TJ because I prefer the flavor, and forewent the parmesan because I forgot to buy it, and it was great. Added salmon fillet (covered in pesto and roasted for 12 mins at 400) on top for some extra protein, and it was perfect. Will definitely be making again and again and again!
kathleen
Did I miss something? I didn’t find offensive the mess others spoke of but I found it rather flavorless. Fortunately, it was dinner for me - and only me - last night. Perhaps it’s bettering itself in the fridge? I WILL try it again with addition of chickpeas/herbs and less salt.
julianna
Made as written except added a red bell pepper w the zucchini and the onion, cooked orzo w everything which felt weird but turned out great! It added a ton of flavor. Great for lunches to make ahead and reheat
pesto enjoyer
very tasty recipe! we made it with fusilli instead of orzo (cooked separately & mixed in with some pasta water later). a delicious way to eat zucchini with pasta
victoria
Wow this was fantastic. Made exactly as listed, and it was perfect. Wouldn't change a thing (except maybe more zucchini, because it was just so fabulous). Even my toddler loved it...which should tell you a lot. For celiacs reading this, we used De Lallo gluten free orzo and it turned out perfectly with the same cooking time.
Delicious Design
Made per the instructions and it would have been excellent if I would have left out the mozzarella. Maybe I added it too early, should have let the orzo cool down but it melted and got stringy rather than staying in cube form
jmgwis
Followed suggestions and cooked onions/zucchini and orzo separately, then married them with the other ingredients in a bowl. Delicious!
Pa
Ciliegine (Mozzarella balls about the size of grape tomatoes) were fun to use instead of cubed mozz.
Adriana
“This recipe is phenomenal “, to quote my husband. HOWEVER, on my first try (done per recipe recs), the orzo gloriously burned as I was changing the baby’s diaper, about 6-7min. into boiling it (needs 9 to be al dente).Also, the zucchini looked all mashed like other reviewers said. So the second time around, I shortened the zucchini onion time by 2min, and placed double the recommended amount of chicken broth on whole wheat rotini. I cooked the rotini 9min in the same pot and it was fantastic.
Kris
I followed the recipe exactly as written, and it was superb! It was visually appealing, with the colors of the Italian flag, and bursting with bright flavors. Thanks, Melissa!
gf substitute
can substitute orzo for 1.5 cups of rice to make gluten free! :)
vivi
Double the zucchini, serve with sourdough
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