Creamy Courgette Orzotto
Courgette or zucchini can be a very misunderstood vegetable.
Most people including myself think they don’t like courgette after having it in drab uninspiring dishes.
However since becoming vegan I’ve learnt to get creative with vegetables and most of them just haven’t received the love and attention they need, this is purely in the preparation and cooking methods.
So I got to work with making myself like courgette.
This recipe features the courgette sliced very thinly and cooked low and slow to almost caramelise the vegetable and brown the edges. This is by far now my favourite way to enjoy courgette and if like I was- you are a courgette sceptic please do try this cooking method.
Orzo works well as a creamy pasta dish as you can cook it much like you cook risotto- cooking it in stock until the liquid is absorbed this ensures the starch stays in the dish and the consistency is as if you’ve added pasta water to the sauce.
Adding in some cashew cream and vegan parmesan will finish this dish making it the ultimate creamy weeknight meal that feels restaurant quality but is whipped up in just 20 minutes.
Creamy courgette orzotto ingredients and substitutes-
- Courgettes- In order to get the courgettes caramelised perfectly I recommend to use fresh courgettes sliced super thin with a mandolin if you have it, if not a very sharp knife.
- Orzo- Orzo works perfectly in this dish as it acts like a risotto, the starches cook into the liquid improving the consistency. I haven’t tried another pasta shape however I think risotto rice would also work.
- Vegetable stock- I use ordinary vegetable stock for this dish however you may use vegan chicken stock or even make a home made stock if you’re feeling fancy!
- Vegan parmesan- I use the vegan parmesan from Lidl in the UK however if you don’t have access to a vegan parmesan you can use a melty vegan cheese grated on a small hole cheese grater.
- Cashew nuts- I tend to use soaked raw cashew nuts to make a plant based cream with minimal ingredients. You can however just used your favourite vegan cream but do not skip this step as this takes the dish to the next level of creaminess.
- Vegan butter- Cooking the onions in a vegan butter adds a buttery flavour to the dish. You can also use oil if you’d like.
You will love these other plant based recipes...
Q&A -Can I add protein?- As it comes this dish has only a little bit of protein in so I’d recommend separately preparing some vegan chicken or sausage to place on the top once the dish is being served for a protein boost that isn’t soggy from just adding it into the orzo whilst simmering.
Step by step guide of how to make zucchini orzo
- Soak cashews in boiling water
- Slice onion thinly
- Slice courgette with a mandolin
SAFETY TIP- When using a mandoline use the safety guard or a cut resistant glove to protect your fingers
- Melt the butter
- Add the onions and cook until softened
- Add the courgette slices and cook until soft
- Add the dry orzo and salt and pepper
- Add the stock
- Blend the cashews and water into a cream
- Add the cream and the parmesan
- Serve garnished with fresh parsley and parmesan
Creamy courgette orzo
Ingredients
- 2 Courgettes
- 1 Onion
- 300 g Orzo dry weight
- 1 Litre Vegetable stock
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 100 g Vegan parmesan
- 50 g Cashew nuts raw
- 20 g Vegan butter
- Fresh parsely to garnish
Instructions
- Add the cashew nuts to a high speed blender cup and cover in boiling water. Leave to soak.
- Slice the onions thin and set aside.
- Using a mandolin slice the courgettes super thin.
- Melt the butter in a big pan then add the onion. Fry until softened.
- Add the courgette and turn to a medium low heat. Let the courgettes cook until soft making sure the excess liquid has dried out.
- Add the dry orzo and stir well to combine and toast the orzo slightly.
- Add the vegetable stock and stir well making sure none of the orzo is stuck to the bottom.
- Pop on a lid and simmer on a low heat until the orzo is cooked through.
- Blend up the cashews in their water until completely smooth and a cream like consistency.
- Add the cashew cream and 75g of the vegan parmesan to the orzo and stir until nice and creamy.
- Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve up in bowls topped with some more parmesan and fresh parsley.
Notes
If you liked this recipe be sure to check out some of my other pasta recipes!
- Spicy sausage and sundried tomato orzo
- Vegan olive pesto pasta
- Mac n cheese with tempeh bacon crumble
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