Sometimes a kitchen needs a last-minute miracle, and mine is always frozen pesto. At a moment’s notice, I can stir a spoonful of herby, garlicky zip into any dish that needs it, lifting it to a whole new level.
In a perfect pesto world, that frozen sauce is homemade — a mix of tiny-leafed Genovese basil, Italian pine nuts and good olive oil that you’ve pounded by hand with a mortar and pestle.
Recipe: One-Pan Zucchini-Pesto Orzo
In my world, though, I usually reach for the food processor. I whirl regular floppy-leafed basil with olive oil and sliced almonds (instead of pricier pine nuts) until I get a purée thick enough to spoon into an ice cube tray for fast access when dinner is nigh. (And if your frozen stash runs out, good store-bought pesto is a reliably herby Plan B.)
Pesto is typically destined for a plate of al dente pasta, but it actually works wonderfully as an ingredient, adding color and garlicky verve to soups, stews, or, in this case, a one-pan orzo dish loaded with summer zucchini and onions.
The key to bringing out the most flavor in a one-pan dish is to cook it in stages. First, I sauté zucchini and onions, letting them sear until they’re darkly golden. Try not to move the vegetables too much as they cook, as that can impede browning. The darker they get, the more flavor they’ll impart to the dish, with the bronzed bits left stuck to the bottom of the pan forming the foundation of the sauce.
Then, instead of cooking the orzo in water, I use broth, which infuses the pasta with flavor as the liquid reduces to a silky sauce, spiked with lemon zest for brightness.
The pesto doesn’t make its appearance until late in the game, to preserve its freshness. Heating it too long would tame the pungent, garlicky bite and dull the basil’s verdant sharpness. Start with a half cup, which is just enough to give the orzo a gentle pesto character. Pesto stans might want to drizzle in a little more, but taste as you go.
At the very end, I stir in a caprese-like mix of marinated mozzarella, juicy, sweet cherry tomatoes and fresh mint. The cheese softens but doesn’t quite melt, forming milky pockets to complement the pungent pesto. That perfect balance, created so effortlessly by pesto and cheese, is the real miracle on your plate.
