One-Pot Orzo With Tomatoes, Corn and Zucchini
Updated August 25, 2021
Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Lish Steiling.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 Vidalia or yellow onion, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
Black pepper, to taste
1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces), halved lengthwise, seeded and ½-inch diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ cup torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ¼ cups orzo
Kernels from one ear of corn (about ½ cup)
1 cup torn or medium-diced fresh mozzarella (about 5 ounces)
¼ cup grated Parmesan
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
27 grams carbs; 23 milligrams cholesterol; 283 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 571 milligrams sodium; 12 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
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
- Step 1
Heat olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet, for which you have a lid, set over medium. And the onions, lightly season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the zucchini and garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring often.
- Step 2
Add the tomatoes, basil, red-pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have completely collapsed, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and tomato paste and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Step 3
Add 2 ½ cups water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the orzo, corn, and ½ teaspoon salt, mix well, and turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan 3 or 4 times, until the pasta is cooked. The pasta should look “saucy” as it cooks; if at any point it looks dry, add another ¼ cup water.
- Step 4
Off the heat, add the mozzarella and Parmesan and stir gently until just combined. Top with fresh basil and more red-pepper flakes if desired, and serve hot.
Private Notes
Comments
Tasty & straightforward. Used far less water than called for, as the tomatoes released a lot of liquid. Instead added small amounts of water as necessary, ala risotto; orzo took slightly longer to cook as a result (~15 min). Also, being opposed to soggy stewed zucchini (22+ minutes?!), I elected to add that ingredient along with the corn and orzo. Turned out perfect—tender, but with just a little bit of tooth.
Tana has neither the heart nor the gumption to handle additional parmesan. but i do and it was great
Unless I perceive something as a glaring error, I almost always make a recipe the first time just as it's been written. In this case, it all worked out in the end, but I wish I had followed my instinct on a few more things. Next time: 1) I will double in the amount of zucchini, adding it after the tomatoes are almost broken down, and then cook for 5 minutes. 2) I will add the corn after the orzo is nearly done. 3) I will add freshly chopped parsley, a good half cup, when I add the corn.
Tasty! I added the zucchini during the last 5 minutes of sautéing the tomatoes - perfect, with just a bit of crunch. Cherry tomatoes come in 10 oz. packages from our grocer, so I used one of those but two small ears of sweet corn. I did use chicken stock but might use water next time. The only change I'd make is to hold the cheese (I used fresh mozz "pearls") until serving and just sprinkle them on top - then they wouldn't get gooey and the presentation would be prettier!
Made this as part of a vegetarian dinner party and everyone went crazy over it. I stuck to the recipe (although I added salt per my judgement, rather than measuring). It was great. I didn’t find the zucchini mushy, even though I added it per the recipe instructions—perhaps using the size of pan recommended made a difference, as there was no steaming.
@Aruna D'Souzai agree - I followed the instructions and my zucchini was fine.
When you don’t want to cook a thing, but have to, this is a wonderful one-pot meal that takes less than hour to cook from prep to table. I made a couple of adjustments to account for food allergies - I used goat cheese instead of mozzarella - and added ground sausage to help the meal stretch. Even picky eaters enjoyed this meal!