Zucchini pesto orzo is a light, summery dish that pairs herby zucchini pesto with tender orzo and sauted asparagus. This vibrant pasta can be enjoyed alone or paired with your favorite protein, veggies, or bread for a delightfully zesty dinner option that you can enjoy all summer long.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Uses in-season summer produce to create a light and fresh dish bursting with flavor.
- Healthy and nutrient-dense dinner, thanks to an entire pound of zucchini, half a pound of asparagus, and a cup each of spinach and basil.
- Quick and easy dish that can be on your table in 30 minutes or less!
- Easily customizable with your favorite protein and veggies.
- Great way to use leftover zucchini.
Ingredients
- Orzo – cooked to tender, al dente perfection. You can also sub in your favorite pasta or rice.
- Onion – savory, fragrant aromatic. We like sweeter yellow onions for this recipe to keep the taste more mild.
- Asparagus – for an extra dose of greens. We lightly saute in oil until tender and season with salt and pepper to keep things light and simple.
- Zucchini – for the pesto sauce. It makes a delightfully summery and creamy pesto. For the best results, shred and strain as much liquid as possible for a thicker, less watery sauce.
- Spinach – for an even more greens-loaded pesto with a nice dose of iron.
- Basil – for the trademark fresh and herby pesto flavor.
- Garlic – for a little punch of sharpness.
- Walnuts – pan toast for extra nuttiness. Try cashews or blanched and slivered almonds for a rich variation.
- Parmesan cheese – for a little extra saltiness and creaminess in the pesto.
- Reserved pasta water – for thinning the zucchini pesto, if desired. Adds a little starchiness to the sauce to help it better stick to the orzo.
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) – largely used to make the pesto, but also for sauteing the onion and asparagus.
- Salt and pepper – simple seasonings to make all the flavors come together.
Tips for Making Zucchini Pesto Orzo
- Use a paper towel or dish cloth to squeeze out excess moisture from the zucchini before making the pesto. This will ensure that the pesto is creamy instead of watery.
- Cook orzo until al dente (according to package directions). Once you add the pesto, the orzo will absorb some of the liquid and become softer. To avoid mushy noodles, cook until just tender with no white in the center.
- Use pasta water to thin the sauce. The extra starchiness from the pasta water works better than water or broth to help the sauce better cling to the noodles.
- Pan toast the walnuts for an extra hint of nuttiness.
How to Make Zucchini Pesto Orzo
Zucchini Pesto
In a small, dry frying pan, toast the walnuts over medium-low heat for a few minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
Shred the zucchini. Use a clean dish towel or paper towel to squeeze out as much excess moisture form the zucchini as possible.
In a large food processor, combine the strained zucchini, garlic, spinach, basil, toasted walnuts, and Parmesan cheese. Process about 1 minute, or until smooth. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend another 15-30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
Pesto Orzo
Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta (about 7-8 minutes). Reserve ยฝ cup of pasta water before draining and set aside.
While the orzo cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes, or until lightly browned in spots. Add the asparagus and cook another 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
Pour about half of the pesto into the cooked orzo and stir to combine. Add more pesto if the pasta is too dry. If the pasta sauce is too thick, thin with the reserved pasta water. Stir in the cooked asparagus and onions. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
How to Store
Store leftover zucchini pesto orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After that, the pesto ingredients start to significantly oxidize and brown. We do not recommend freezing leftover pesto orzo. To reheat, warm a drizzle of olive oil over medium-low heat in a medium frying pan. Add the orzo, leftover zucchini pesto, and a splash of chicken broth or water to break up the pesto. Heat until warmed throughout. Note, the sauce may brown slightly upon heating.
Store leftover zucchini pesto in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. After that, the sauce will begin to brown due to oxidation. You can also freeze leftover pesto in ice cube trays or in a small baking sheet and then transfer to a freezer-safe container to store for up to 4 months. Beyond that the pesto will become icy and the herbs may begin to lose their potency.
Recipe Variations
- Pesto – this recipe uses our summery zucchini pesto, but sub in any variation of pesto you like! Give our pumpkin seed pesto, kale pesto, sundried tomato pesto, or even lemon pesto a try for a little variety!
- Pasta – any pasta works great in this recipe. We love to use small, shaped pasta like shells, rotini, rigatoni, penne, campanelle, farfalle, gemelli, orecchiette, or gnocchi to capture all the pesto sauce.
- Veggies – we keep this dish super light and simple with just sauted onions and asparagus for our veggie toppers. Swap in or add on mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, green beans, tomatoes, broccoli, or spinach for even more fresh summer produce. Or try oven roasting, air frying, or grilling veggies in place of sauteing.
What to Pair With Zucchini Pesto Orzo
- Protein – top the orzo with chicken, shrimp, meatballs, salmon, steak, or scallops for a nice boost of protein. Try our bison meatballs, turkey meatballs, garlic Parmesan chicken skewers, Instant pot shredded chicken, or Italian herb chicken.
- Bread – homemade breadsticks, homemade white bread, garlic bread, dinner rolls, or bruschetta are a delicious side.
- Side salad – add simple side salad for even more greens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh basil is heat sensitive and begins to break down when heated, causing it to lose its vibrant green color and taste more bitter. Therefore, you should not heat it. Instead, we recommend tossing the pesto into the warm pasta once it is removed from heat. The pasta will warm the pesto somewhat without degrading it.
Orzo is a pasta made from semolina flour.
We recommend using pasta water to thin out the pesto if the consistency is too thick. The pasta water is starchy and allows the sauce to better coat and cling to the noodles.
Check out our other pesto pasta recipes
Zucchini Pesto Orzo
Equipment
- 1 large food processor
Ingredients
Zucchini Pesto
- 1 lb zucchini, shredded and strained (about 2 medium zucchinis)
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 1 c packed spinach
- 1 c packed fresh basil
- ยผ c walnuts, toasted
- ยฝ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ยผ c extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Pesto Orzo
- 1 lb orzo
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- ยฝ medium sweet onion, thinly sliced and coarsely chopped
- 1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 batch zucchini pesto (you likely won't use all of it)
- ยฝ c reserved pasta water (for thinning, if needed)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Zucchini Pesto
- In a small, dry frying pan, toast the walnuts over medium-low heat for a few minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
- Shred the zucchini. Use a clean dish towel or paper towel to squeeze out as much excess moisture form the zucchini as possible.
- In a large food processor, combine the strained zucchini, garlic, spinach, basil, toasted walnuts, and Parmesan cheese. Process about 1 minute, or until smooth. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend another 15-30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
Pesto Orzo
- Bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions for al dente pasta (about 7-8 minutes). Reserve ยฝ cup of pasta water before draining and set aside.
- While the orzo cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes, or until lightly browned in spots. Add the asparagus and cook another 4-5 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
- Pour about half of the pesto into the cooked orzo and stir to combine. Add more pesto if the pasta is too dry. If the pasta sauce is too thick, thin with the reserved pasta water. Stir in the cooked asparagus and onions. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
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