Creamy Lemon Orzo

A bright and comforting one-pot pasta dish. It has a bright lemony flavor, and is incredibly luscious and creamy. Great as a light dinner or flavorful side dish.

I like to think of this recipe as the easy version of risotto.

Orzo pasta has that rice shape, and when you cook it in broth and add some cream cheese for extra creaminess, it takes on this beautiful risotto texture.

It’s one of those recipes that seems like it took hours but actually only took 20 minutes.

This creamy lemon orzo would make a great side dish for a holiday dinner. Or it’s nice as a light meal. Or make it more hearty by adding your favorite vegan protein and a veg!

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Lemon Orzo

• Bright & Creamy — Fresh lemon balances the creamy sauce. It’s that perfect bright/zesty and rich/creamy combo

• One Pot Meal — make the entire dish in one pot. Great for an easy cleanup!

• Super quick — this orzo is ready in less than 30 minutes

• Comforting — rich but still light and fresh. It’s great for springtime - Easter dinner anyone?!

• Versatile — this orzo works great as a main dish or a flavorful side

• Dietary needs — this orzo is vegan friendly! I used non dairy cream cheese and topped with vegan parm. Make it gluten-free by using a GF orzo. And you can also skip the oil to make the dish oil free.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: optional but nice to help toast the orzo. Feel free to water sauté the shallots and just skip the toasting and go straight to adding the rest of the ingredients

• Shallots: I like the delicate flavor of shallot here, but feel free to use half a yellow onion instead

• Garlic

• Orzo Pasta: orzo is pasta, not rice! Look for orzo in the pasta section. Jovial has a nice GF orzo substitute.

• Lemon Zest & Juice: we’ll use both the zest and juice for that extra bright flavor. Grab yourself a microplane and citrus reamer!

• Salt & Pepper

• Vegetable Broth: I use vegetable broth instead of water. I highly recommend broth over water because it adds depth to the dish. That said, water will still work!

• Vegan Cream Cheese: this is how this orzo gets super creamy! I love Kroger’s Simple Truth Organic cream cheese, but any vegan cream cheese will work. Or if you aren’t vegan, regular cream cheese works too

• Vegan Parm: I topped with a few shavings of vegan parm. Feel free to also use my cashew parm

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 3-5 minutes until the shallot is soft and translucent.

Step 2. Add the orzo, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Stir and toast for 30 seconds.

Step 3. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Simmer for 7-9 minutes, stirring often, until the orzo is al dente and the mixture looks thick.

Step 4. Turn the heat to low and stir in the cream cheese.

Step 5. Serve with a garnish of vegan parmesan.

Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for this meal. Allow this food to nourish our bodies. Amen.

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