One Pot Zucchini Orzo
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One Pot Zucchini Orzo is a simple side dish that comes together in under 30 minutes with only 10 ingredients. Light, fresh and delicious!
If your garden is overflowing with zucchini, this one pot zucchini orzo is the perfect recipe to use it up in. (There’s only so much Healthy Zucchini Bread or Zucchini Bakes you can make!)
Made with only 10 ingredients, this is the perfect example of how to let simple seasonal ingredients shine together in a delicious dish.
We have over 10 one pot orzo recipes on our website, so we knew exactly how to cook this all in one pot so the zucchini would still be crisp and the orzo wouldn’t be over cooked!
For more zucchini recipes – check out our list of Healthy Zucchini Recipes.
Tyler’s Tips for the Best Zucchini Orzo
- Don’t overcook your pasta – This recipe comes together quickly so make sure to set your timer and pay attention so that the pasta doesn’t get over cooked.
- Make it your own: We served this with pan seared chicken, but crumbled sausage would also be great!
substitutions
Olive Oil: You could use avocado oil, but we really recommend extra virgin olive oil.
Zucchini: You can substitute yellow squash for zucchini. Adding cherry tomatoes would also be delicious
Adding Protein: We served this with pan seared chicken on top, but you could also add chicken to it. Cube 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breasts into ¼ inch square bite size pieces. Instead of starting the recipe with cooking the garlic, add your chicken to the pan, let it cook for 10 minutes or until you get a nice golden brown color on the exterior. Make sure to stir occasionally to brown all sides. Follow the remaining instructions as written.
White Wine: You can skip the white wine if you’d like. There’s no need to substitute for it, simply omit it.
Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used in any soup recipe. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
This is our favorite pot for one pot meals!
What to Serve with Zucchini Orzo
We served this orzo with pan seared chicken. You can follow the instructions for pan searing the chicken in this Lemon Chicken Pasta.
It would also be great alongside Balsamic Grilled Chicken or Greek Yogurt Grilled Chicken.
For more veggies you could serve it alongside Vegetable Kebabs or a side salad like this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad.
storage
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing this recipe. It will get mushy when reheated.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stovetop. You can add a little bit of olive oil and chicken broth to the pan when warming it up if you’d like but it’s not necessary.
other One Pot Orzo recipes:
One Pot Zucchini Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- 1 ¾ cups chicken stock
- 3 cups diced zucchini
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the pan and cook for two minutes or until translucent.
- Add the orzo and white wine to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the chicken stock to the pan and stir. Cover with a lid and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally so the orzo doesn’t stick.
- Stir in the chopped zucchini, black pepper and salt. Cover with a lid and cook for an additional 4 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pan. Stir in Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
- Optional: You can drizzle an additional 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot before serving for finishing.
- Serve warm with extra Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper.
