This One-Pot Lemon Butter Orzo recipe is fast, easy and makes a perfect side dish for so many meals. Try it today!
Whenever the store-brand pasta goes on sale at our local supermarket, I stock up. Our food storage unit has a large section devoted to pasta, as a result. There are the thin, long strands like angel hair, thin spaghetti and vermicelli, which I use for dishes like Pomodoro when we don’t have bucatini (there’s been a shortage, after all!). There are zitis, penne and rigatoni for Baked Ziti dishes. And there are usually some fun stapes too.
In recent years, my kids have also developed a fondness for orzo, the tiny oblong shape that I use in Sesame Orzo Salad, Caramelized Onion Orzo and other dishes. I’ve been making sure that we have that on hand as well — though in smaller quantities. Orzo tends to go a long way.
Orzo can be used so many ways — in salads, soups, hot dishes and more. And one fantastic way to use it is as a one-pot pasta.
Are you familiar with one-pot pastas? They are dishes where everything added to the pot helps create the final dish. There’s no excess water to drain or wasted resources. And, one-pot pastas are also super easy to make.
This One-Pot Lemon Butter Orzo recipe begins with a few simple ingredients — orzo, vegetable stock, lemon zest and spices. It’s all cooked together in a pot (stir it a couple times while it’s cooking). Then you add butter and let it melt. I cover the pan while it’s doing that to help trap the heat and make the melting happen faster. Then, finally, add lemon juice and parsley to finish it off.
Didn’t I tell you this was easy? It really is.
This One-Pot Lemon Butter Orzo is delightful with a variety of dishes like roasted chicken or Lemon Herb Cod. But I also love it with Souvlaki Chicken and a simple roasted asparagus, as seen here.
One-Pot Lemon Butter Orzo
This easy recipe for One-Pot Lemon Butter Orzo makes a perfect side dish for many main dishes from roast chicken to baked cod.
Ingredients
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (divided)
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Combine the orzo, vegetable stock, water, lemon zest, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper in a pot (I use a Dutch oven, but a large saucepan could work too).
- Cover, set over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Add the butter. Cover again and let melt. Stir to combine.
- Add the lemon juice and fresh parsley to the orzo. Stir. Taste. Season with additional salt and pepper, as desired. Serve.
Interested in more one-pot pasta recipes? Then you’ll want to check out my cookbook One-Pot Pastas, which is full of easy, flavorful pasta recipes.