One Pot Orzo with Tomato, Corn, and Zucchini recipe from Molly MacRae

 

It’s summertime and the tomatoes, corn, and zucchini are delicious! Here’s a one pot meal that makes great use of all three, plus fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Serve with garlic bread and you’ll be all set.

 

You’ll find a free, downloadable, printable pdf of the recipe below the cooking directions.

 

One Pot Orzo with Tomato, Corn, and Zucchini

Adapted from Lidey Heuck in the New York Times

Serves 4 to 6

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

Black pepper, to taste

1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced

2 pints tiny tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 1/4 cups orzo

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn

5 ounces (about 1 cup) fresh mozzarella, torn or cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

 

Directions

Over medium, heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet for which you have a lid (or a handy cookie sheet or other makeshift lid). Add the onion, lightly season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low, add the zucchini and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring often.

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.

Add 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the orzo, corn, and 1/2 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. If, as its cooking, the pasta looks dry, add another 1/4 cup water.

Off the heat, add the mozzarella and Parmesan. Stir gently until just combined. Top with more fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan if desired. Serve hot.

 

🍅 click here for a free, downloadable, printable pdf of this recipe 🍅

 

 

Out now!

All Shell Breaks Loose

Book 3 in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries!

 

On North Carolina’s Ocracoke Island, Maureen Nash sells exquisite seashells to locals and tourists—with Bonny the shop cat and the ghost of a Welsh pirate for company. And when needed, she steps in to help the police solve a murder . . .

Dr. Irving Allred is boasting around town that he’s about to get his hands on an authentic haunted sword. But minutes after Maureen hears the story, a woman walks into the Moon Shell, sword in hand. She found it while walking her bulldog on the beach—and its blade is stained with what looks like blood. Looks like it’s time to call the sheriff’s department.

Allred is furious that his prize is now in police custody—and even more agitated that an unknown buyer was trying to outbid him. He’s convinced the sword will lead him straight to the ghosts he’s been hunting. He’s not the only one on the Outer Banks who’s been searching for spirits, though. An odd visitor also showed up at Maureen’s shop claiming the ability to sense them . . . though somehow she didn’t seem to notice Maureen’s spectral friend hanging about.

When a man who’d been camping nearby is found cut down along the shore, Maureen starts providing some unofficial assistance to Captain Rob Tate by digging into the island’s maritime history. But it’s not the only mystery she’s facing—because the shop’s resident ghost is seeing ghosts himself . . .

Writing as Margaret Welch

Happy reading!

  

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries, and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.