Lemon Orzo Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

Published January 27, 2023

The easiest Lemon Orzo recipe! Made with 6 ingredients including tiny rice shaped orzo pasta, bright lemon, flavorful broth, vibrant garlic, rich olive oil, and bold parmesan. And you can have it ready in under 20 minutes!

Quick Lemon Orzo

Welcome to a new favorite dinner side that goes with just about anything!

It couldn’t be easier to make yet each bite is brimming with flavor and it’s enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s also a versatile recipe and easy to switch things up (see variations below).

I love to serve it with a quick pan seared chicken recipe, salmon or shrimp to keep the quick dinner theme going.

It’s also great for meal prep (just add a little extra broth or oil as it tends to dry overnight in the fridge).

Try it soon, it’s practically guaranteed to be a repeat as a dinner staple!

Lemon Orzo Recipe Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Low-sodium chicken broth
• Orzo
• Salt and pepper
• Lemon
• Parsley (optional for garnish)

How to Make This Lemon Orzo Recipe

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add garlic and saute 20 seconds or until fragrant and just barely deepening in color (not browning).
2. Pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo, 3/4 tsp lemon zest and salt to taste then reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Let simmer until orzo is tender, about 10 minutes. If needed add a little more chicken broth if it’s becoming dry.
4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, remaining 3/4 tsp lemon zest, parmesan, and pepper. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Possible Variations

• Try substituting another small pasta here such as acini de pepe or Stelline (star shaped pasta). Use an equal weight.
• You could make this using whole wheat orzo, tricolor vegetable orzo, or a gluten free orzo.
• Butter can be used in place of olive oil.
• Add more herbs. Fresh basil would be delicious here or extra parsley.
• Romano cheese works well in place of parmesan cheese.
• For lemon pepper orzo with a nice bite to it add 1 tsp fresh cracker black pepper along with the garlic when sautéing.
• To make it vegetarian vegetable broth can be used in place of chicken broth, then to make vegan replace with a vegan parmesan as well.

Can I Substitute Rice for Orzo?

• In some recipes rice can be substituted for orzo in something like a soup, but in a dish where it is the main ingredients I don’t recommend substituting rice for orzo.
• It would take modifications to the overall recipe to do so, they don’t substitute 1:1 and cook times would vary.

Helpful Tips for the Best Orzo Recipe

• The orzo brands I tested in this recipe (including Barilla and Trader Joe’s) had a 9 minute al dente cook time. If you use one that is lesser or greater adjust cook time accordingly.
• Keep an eye on the orzo near the end to see if it needs more broth to prevent scorching on bottom. I prefer to use a minimal amount then add more as needed rather than having it end up soupy.

More Tasty Orzo Recipes to Try

• Greek Orzo Salad
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
• Parmesan and Spinach Orzo
• Roasted Red Pepper and Orzo Soup