Lemon Orzo
Updated
Updated
Ready in just 20 minutes, this delicious and light Lemon Orzo recipe is a quick and easy side dish that completes any weeknight dinner. Pairs well with chicken, steak, salmon, or any other protein of choice.
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Easy Lemon Orzo Recipe
This lovely lemon orzo side dish recipe joins our lemon orzo salad and Mediterranean orzo salad and our love of orzo, which I think is such an underrated ingredient! If you’ve never had it, this side dish is a perfect introduction and will quickly become a staple on your dinner table.
With butter, freshly squeezed lemon juice, vegetable broth, and garlic, this dish is full of flavor. Serve it with your favorite protein and some roasted veggies and you can have a wonderful meal on the table in only 30 minutes or so.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Orzo Pasta
Here are a few reasons to love this simple pasta side.
- Quick and easy. From start to finish, this lemon orzo takes just 20 minutes to prepare.
- Only a few ingredients. You’ll need butter, lemon, orzo, vegetable (or chicken) broth, and just a few seasonings for this recipe.
- Pairs with almost anything. This orzo recipe is fantastic with pretty much any cut of meat but especially chicken and salmon.
Ingredients Needed
You’ll need just a handful of ingredients for this lemon butter orzo.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Butter – Butter adds a rich flavor to this orzo side dish.
- Garlic – Provides wonderful aromatics and flavor.
- Orzo pasta – You will find orzo in the pasta section of your local grocery store. Yep, orzo is a pasta not a grain. (See note below.)
- Vegetable broth – Cooking the orzo in vegetable broth adds extra flavor. (Chicken broth works great too if you don’t need this to be vegetarian.)
- Seasonings – This lemon orzo is seasoned simply with salt, pepper, and onion powder.
- Lemon juice – Use fresh lemon juice for this recipe because it is the primary flavor. The pre-squeezed bottled lemon juice has a different taste to it.
- Parsley – Adds a burst of color and flavor to the dish.
What Is Orzo?
Orzo is a small, rice-shaped pasta. It’s often confused as being a grain, due to the small shape, but is actually a pasta made from flour. Due to its small size, it cooks quickly and is often used in flavorful side dishes, like this one.
How to Make Lemon Orzo
This lemon orzo pasta recipe is a quick, easy side dish that takes just a few minutes to prepare.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Saute the orzo. Melt the butter over medium heat then add the garlic and orzo. Cook for 1 minute or so until the garlic is golden.
- Simmer. Stir in the broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the orzo is tender.
- Finish and Enjoy. Stir in the lemon juice and parsley then enjoy.
Tips & Variations
Here are a few tips for making this lemon orzo recipe.
- Don’t need it to be vegetarian? Simply swap the veggie broth with chicken broth.
- Add some cheese. A sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese adds an extra level of flavor to this dish.
- Switch up the flavor. Feel free to play around with the flavor by adding other herbs, such as basil, or seasonings like extra freshly cracked pepper.
- Add more broth if needed. If the orzo appears to soak up all of the broth before it’s finished cooking, feel free to add a splash more to prevent it from burning to the bottom of the pan.
- Don’t overcook the orzo. Orzo cooks quickly due to its small size so keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t overcook.
What to Serve with Lemon Orzo Pasta
The great thing about orzo is that it pairs with pretty much any protein. I particularly like orzo with chicken and salmon, such as baked chicken breast or honey glazed salmon. It would also make a tasty side to grilled steak, air fryer pork chops, or any type of seafood.
Add a quick veggie, like roasted broccoli or air fryer asparagus, and you have a restaurant-quality meal in hardly any time at all.
Proper Storage
- Fridge. Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat. When reheating, stir in a tablespoon or so of veggie (or chicken) broth to help return to the correct texture. The stovetop is best for reheating but the microwave will work too.
More Easy Side Dishes:
- Sauteed Mushrooms
- Best Mashed Potatoes
- Homemade Cornbread
- Zucchini and Corn Skillet
- Mushroom Rice
- Creamed Peas
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Lemon Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Melt your butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add your garlic and orzo to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until the garlic turns golden brown.
- Stir in the vegetable broth, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until the orzo is tender.
- Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!
This is s keeper! The only change I made was low salt (organic) chicken broth because I didn’t have vegetable broth. The lemon juice gave it a nice zip. Husband and son loved it too!
This was sooo good! Thank you!
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It was very tasty but next time I will cut the pepper amount in half.