Orzo Vongole With Zucchini

By Kay Chun

Published Aug. 22, 2024

Orzo Vongole With Zucchini
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(56)
Comments
Read comments

Inspired by the flavors of pasta alle vongole (spaghetti and clams with garlic), this brothy version features clams and orzo with sweet zucchini, which pairs particularly well with briny shellfish. The littlenecks steam open and release all of their wonderful liquor, which later gets readily absorbed by the pasta. A final swirl of butter and Parmesan creates a lovely silky sauce, studded with flecks of fresh parsley. When cooking with fresh clams, give them a good scrub to shed any grit and discard any clams that have cracked shells or are open before cooking. If fresh clams are hard to come by, you can substitute them with two (6-ounce) cans of whole clams; if the canned liquid tastes good, you can use it in place of the bottled clam juice.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1shallot, minced (about ¼ cup)
  • 3garlic cloves, minced
  • 1(8-ounce) bottle clam juice
  • 2dozen littleneck clams (about 3 pounds), scrubbed and rinsed
  • 2medium zucchini, diced into ¼-inch pieces (about 2½ cups)
  • 1¼cups/8 ounces orzo
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 2tablespoons finely chopped parsley, plus more for garnishing
  • Crusty bread (optional), for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

738 calories; 20 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 68 grams protein; 2618 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Add clam juice and clams and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until clams open, 3 to 8 minutes; transfer the clams as they open to a large bowl. (Discard any that do not open.)

  3. Step 3

    Add zucchini, orzo and 2 cups of water to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium. Cover, adjust heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until orzo is al dente, about 8 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Meanwhile, working over a bowl to catch the juices, remove 1 dozen of the clams from their shells; discard the shells. Reserve the remaining clams for garnishing.

  5. Step 5

    Add butter, shelled clams and any collected juices to the pot, leaving any grit in the bottom of the bowl. Cook, stirring, until well incorporated and saucy, 2 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Turn off heat and stir in cheese and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

  7. Step 7

    Divide brothy orzo among 4 shallow bowls and top each with 3 of the reserved clams. Garnish with more parsley and pepper. Serve warm, with crusty bread, if using.

Ratings

5 out of 5
56 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

scott

As a frequent steamer of littleneck clams (they come out of the faucet here on the Eastern Shore of VA), I cringed when reading that the pasta would be cooked in the same vessel as the clams: there will be grit. My advice is to prepare as described in a stock pot up until adding the orzo, et al. Set aside the clams then tilt pot to ladle out all the goodness into a dutch oven, leaving the last bit of gritty liquor in the pot. Proceed as directed, grit free, in the dutch.

Diorellish

No fresh clams at my market yesterday, so I got mussels instead and they were great. Also I find zucchini kind of pointless so I substituted leeks and was glad I did. Excellent dish.

kristen

This is a sleeper and an absolute home run. Super simple and a lot of bag for your buck. Didn’t use a Dutch oven, so don’t be discouraged my friends.

Shell

Fantastic! Easy, tasty and filling. Unless you’re serving bread or a side, the recipe as written only provided 3 large servings. (We have hearty appetites!) Two dozen clams isn’t enough for 3-4 people, so buy 30 clams since there’s always some that are broken or don’t open. We scrubbed the clams well so there was no grit or sand. Throw all the shelled clams into the orzo - there’s no need to garnish with a few shelled clams, unless that’s your thing. We found the dish a little too salty so no extra is needed - the clam juice and cheese are salty enough. Do add some black pepper while cooking and a sprinkle of red pepper when serving.

Paul from Long Island

Shuck the clams and reserve, decanting the juice to leave the grit behind. Add the juice with the canned in step 2. Add the clams at step 5 as directed. The clams will be soft and tender instead of rubbery, and there will be no grit.

Lisa

My friend made this for me tonight. She added some red pepper flakes which added to the flavor and after tasting it I suggested a squeeze of lemon. The dish was delicious- she forgot the cheese which was just as well. By the way, no grit problem after adding orzo to the clam broth. She just scrubbed the clam’s thoroughly.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.