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
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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.
Powered byPreparation
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
maybe use quinoa?
Sub quinoa for orzo for a gf alternative
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.
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
JaSea
Whoa Nellie, way too rich for us. Made exactly as recipe instructs. But the amount of olive oil, pesto, and cheeses left us gasping for something lighter!
Amanda
delish! next time, I gotta use my dutch oven though
Phoebe
We cooked orzo separately as suggested, thank you. Also, we “parboiled” onions and zucchini prior to sautéing via a brief turn in the microwave. This gives the flavor of sautéing while minimizing the use of evoo.
Zabby
Very underwhelmed. I thought the flavors muddied.
Will R
This is fantastic. Follow directions exactly as written. Comes out like an orzo risotto topped with caprese salad and pesto. What’s not to love?
CvilleMel
This was a great addition to our meatless Monday rotation, especially in the middle of July when I had basil galore and was looking for was to use pesto! The only change I made was to add fresh corn cut off the cob about midway through the zucchini/onion browning. It provided nice bite to the dish.
Emily
Please do not listen to the commenters telling you to cook everything separately— cooking the orzo in the vegetables makes the whole dish so flavorful and lusciously robust. This is the best orzo I’ve ever had, bar none!
Kdg
Good summer meal. Made the onion, zucchini, pesto mix and the marinated tomato, fresh mozzarella thing, and added about 6 oz cooked orecchiette pasta. Make this when the zucchini, tomatoes, and basil are in the garden. Good at room temperature.
Nan
Certainly not a one pot meal. I sautéed the onion and zucchini, which needs to be seeded, separately then cooked the orzo as I usually do. It is a very tasty dish but way more work than originally written. This was my second attempt.
TVT
My kitchen is being redone. Tired of sandwiches, I bought a $20 mini toaster oven and made this recipe for one. Marinated the tomatoes, cheese, lemon zest and julienned mint (forgot the basil), roasted 2 small, diced zucchini/large wedge of onion, added a couple of whole garlic cloves until almost done, added orzo and Better Than Bouillon/water, more toasting. When the liquid was absorbed and orzo al dente, I served it in a pasta bowl, gently folded in tomato mixture. Wonderful!!
Susan B
I made this just as written and it was fabulous! And it looked great. I made homemade pesto using Samin Nosrats recipe which was also fabulous. Loved the cool marinated mozzarella and cherry tomatoes on top, nice contrast with the warm orzo. Will definitely make this again. Thank you Melissa for another great recipe.
pmw80
Delicious: Used squash from our garden & added Calabrian chilies.
Melanie
Cut oil in half. Large dice on zucchini. Small dice on onion. Could add frozen peas and or/ shrimp.
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!
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