Lemony Orzo
a quick one pan meal
By: Eleni Saltas
I love the simplicity of this orzo, which achieves a tasty lemony result with minimal and budget friendly ingredients. Rather than boiling the orzo in a broth, toasting the orzo in the pan with the vegan butter adds nuttiness, a gorgeous golden color, and prevents the orzo pasta from becoming sticky. This dish can be served as a side, or beefed up with proteins such as chickpeas or tofu, or even topping the orzo with sautéed veggies.
Prep Time:
5 min
Total Time:
25 min
Servings:
2 to 4
Good For:
Side
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (or use water for an oil-less recipe)
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 2 ¾ cups vegetable broth, or more if needed
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice (adjust to taste)
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional, for more cheesy flavor)
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
In a medium-sized pan, melt the vegan butter over medium heat.
Add the orzo pasta to the pot and stir to coat it with the melted vegan butter. Toast the orzo for about 1-2 minutes until it becomes slightly golden.
Step 2
Pour in ½ cup of vegetable broth to the pot along with a pinch of salt. Stir frequently until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Gradually add more vegetable broth (about ½ cup at a time), stirring frequently and allowing the orzo to absorb the liquid before adding more. This slow addition of liquid helps create a creamy texture similar to risotto.
Step 3
As you add the last portion of vegetable broth, also add the chopped fresh dill, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey, and nutritional yeast. Stir well to combine.
Step 4
Continue cooking the orzo until it reaches your desired tenderness and consistency, adding more broth if needed. Season to taste.
Serve warm as a side dish!
Eleni, I made your Greek Orzo recipe from your Grandmother. My husband loved it so much, he had thirds! I will give this recipe a try also. thanks
oh my, thank you so much for sharing I really appreciate that and I’m so glad he loved It!! let me know what you think of this one 🙂
much simpler but still hits the spot!
Thanks so much for sharing!
of course!
Do you have a link to an easy print version of your recipes
I do not, that became really messy on my site but going to do a site rebuild soon and i’ll make sure I have a better feature for print!
Do you have a print version of your recipe ?
I do not at the moment! when I rebuild my site ill have that
Thank you
you’re welcome!
Sounds scrumptious! On the list for this week. Can you recommend fav vegan butter rather than oil or Lenten margarine which my mom used to use.
I usually use a brand called VioLife! let me know how It goes for you!
I cooked this for my family and then took the leftovers to work the next day, it tasted even better as all the flavours had developed. I am wondering how long it can be kept in the fridge for as I think this might be my favourite meal prep recipe 🙂
oh my that’s wonderful so glad to hear that! I love leftovers so much haha I bet this would last a few days for sure, It just might get a bit mucky from the orzo is all.
Just swapped the orzo for Arborio rice just as delicious! Takes a little longer to cook but worth the wait =)
ooh yum how perfect! i’m gonna try that too now good idea