This orzo recipe is full of delicious spring flavor! It’s an easy dinner to make in under 30 minutes, packed with asparagus, and bright and flavorful with lemon and creamy goat cheese.
Quick Lemon Asparagus Orzo Recipe
If you’re looking for a simple, vibrant spring recipe, this lemony creamy orzo with asparagus delivers bright citrus flavor and tender pasta in under 30 minutes. Serve it just like it is for a cozy vegetarian meal, or top it with your favorite protein. (It’s delicious with our simple baked chicken breasts.)
Why you’ll love this Asparagus Orzo
This is a very old recipe on the blog that just needed some new fresh photos. It is a family favorite around here, and I love simple meals like this especially when time is short. It feels so cozy with the creamy goat cheese, yet still bright, springy and vibrant. I honestly can’t get enough of it! Give it a go and see what you think. 🥂
Asparagus Orzo Ingredients
- Orzo pasta - A small, rice-shaped pasta that cooks quickly and provides a tender, satisfying base that soaks up the bright lemony flavors.
- Asparagus and optional snap peas - Bring fresh spring flavor, vibrant color, and a crisp-tender texture that makes the dish feel light and seasonal. Feel free to leave out the snap peas!
- Olive oil - Adds richness and helps sauté the aromatics while bringing the whole dish together.
- Shallot and garlic - Create a savory, aromatic foundation with gentle sweetness and depth.
- Salt and pepper - Enhance and balance the flavors; adjust to taste.
- Lemon zest and juice - Add bright acidity and fresh citrus notes that lift and lighten the orzo.
- Fresh herbs - Provides a fragrant, herbaceous finish; dill, basil, parsley, or tarragon can be used depending on what you have on hand.
- Goat Cheese - adds creamy, richness, to the finished dish. Sub feta if preferred.
How to Make Asparagus Orzo
Cook the Orzo. Set salted water to boil and cook orzo according to package directions, cook to al dente. Drain and save 1 cup of hot salted pasta water.
Saute. While the orzo cooks, heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add chopped shallot and garlic, and saute until golden and fragrant. Add chopped asparagus (remove the woody ends) and sliced snap peas and saute until tender-crisp. Season with salt and pepper and lemon zest.
Combine. Add the warm orzo to the skillet with the asparagus and goat cheese and stir in some hot pasta water a little at a time, to loosen it up to your liking.
Season. Fold in the herbs, taste and adjust salt and lemon juice to taste. Season with pepper or chili flakes. Serve immediately while loose and creamy. 😉
Serving suggestions
Serve on it’s own as a vegetarian meal with a fresh salad like our spring greens, or serve it as a side dish along with chicken or fish. It would pair nicely with Baked Chicken Breasts, Seared Scallops or Baked Dijon Salmon. Or toss in this this shrimp.
Storage
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and can be microwaved or reheated gently on the stove. The vibrant color is at its best right after it is made.
More Favorite Orzo recipeS
- Spring Pasta Salad with Asparagus & Mushrooms
- Antipasto Salad
- Asparagus Salad with olives, lemon and Couscous
Hope you enjoy it! xoxo Sylvia
Print
Quick Lemon Asparagus Orzo Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: Main, salad
- Method: tossed
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This recipe for Asparagus Orzo is perfect for spring! Quick and easy, this vegetarian dinner can be made in 30-minutes! Enjoy it as a side dish or see notes on how to serve it chilled as a salad.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces dry orzo pasta (1 cup)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot- diced
- 3 garlic cloves- rough chopped
- 1 extra large bunch asparagus, tough ends removed, cut into 1 inch pieces.
- 1 cup snap peas, sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lemon
- 1/4– 1/2 cup fresh herbs ( parsley, dill, basil or tarragon)
- 1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled; more to taste
Instructions
- Cook Pasta. Set salted water to boil and cook orzo according to directions, cook to al dente. Drain and save 1 cup of hot salted pasta water.
- Saute. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chopped shallot and garlic, and saute until golden and fragrant. Add asparagus and snap peas. Lower to medium low. Saute 5-ish minutes until tender-crisp, stirring often, scooping up the shallot from the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon zest of one lemon.
- Combine. Add the warm orzo to the skillet with the asparagus and goat cheese and some hot pasta water a little at a time, to loosen it up to your liking.
- Season. Fold in the herbs, taste and adjust salt and lemon juice to taste. Season with pepper or chili flakes. Serve immediately while loose and creamy. 😉
Notes
Option to serve this chilled as a salad- place the cooked asparagus mixture in a bowl and let it cool. Rinse the cooked orzo with very cold water until cold. Drain, add to bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, generous squeeze of lemon juice. Mix and adjust salt and lemon, adding more if bland. The pasta will soak up the salt when it sits in the fridge so it will probably need more later. Refrigerate – then taste once more before serving, again adjusting, adding more lemon and salt to taste. Fold in the freshherbs right before serving. Add crumbled feta.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ¼ cup
- Calories: 243
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 379.3 mg
- Fat: 10.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.9 g
- Fiber: 4.8 g
- Protein: 10.2 g
- Cholesterol: 6.5 mg
This is so easy and versatile – warm, cool, room temp – delicious any way. I didn’t have the suggested herbs, so I added chopped fresh mint. Tasted like a spring garden!
Great to hear Herta!
Tasty, great for a quick lunch. I added more pasta water, feta cheese, and lemon for a creamier sauce.
Sounds great!
This was delicious and easy to make!
Awesome Madelyn! Great to hear.
Veeery nice! Forgot the lemon (had lemon juice though) but was still soo good!Very tasty when the onion and garlic flavors and some browning get off the bottom of the pan and get incorporated into orzo!
Great to hear Anna!
Very tasty. A great way to use the asparagus and snap peas that are in season now. Don’t stint on the dill.I think the feta is optional when the orzo is warm, but if you refrigerate it, the feta adds a pleasantly salty pop of flavor.
This recipe sounds amazing! As usual, Sylvia. I also love your photographs. Would you mind sharing what lens and camera is used for these wonderful photos?
I use a Cannon 6 D and a Zeiss 50 mm lens
This recipe was delicious. Perfect for the beginning of spring. Also, your food photography is stunning. I will definitely be coming back for more.
thanks Lily!
This salad is beautiful and comes together so fast. I made the orzo a day before, thinking I would serve the salad cold. Last minute on the day of my party & after sautéing the veggies, I removed the veggies, tossed in the cold orzo with a little olive oil, stirred to warm & assembled as recommended. It was awesome!. And no, the orzo was not gummy. Warm or cold, it’s great. Thanks for sharing Sylvia.This salad is beautiful and comes together so fast. I made the orzo a day before, thinking I would serve the salad cold. Last minute on the day of my party & after sautéing the veggies, I removed the veggies, tossed in the cold orzo with a little olive oil, stirred to warm & assembled as recommended. It was awesome!. And no, the orzo was not gummy, not even the next day. Warm or cold, it’s great. As always, thanks for sharing. Sissy
Thanks so much Sissy- appreciate this!
EEEK! I forgot the orzo at the store (duh me!)! Can I use Risotto or small pasta noodles?
Oh shoot. I think a pasta would easier here!
Thank you! I used orecchietta and it was DELICIOUS! Thank you.
Perfect!
Made this for dinner tonight! Love the Spring vegetables combined with lemon juice and crumbled feta. Simple, fresh, and so flavorful!! Thanks.
So glad you liked it… thanks for the the comment!
Amazing! Adding feta is a must!
Just finished enjoying this recipe for dinner tonight using my home grown lemons and dill. Love the combination of flavors and did not miss the meat. Substituted petite peas for the snap peas since I had those on hand and personal preference, otherwise just the perfect entree. Will be trying the other veggie and pasta recipes too. Thank you for the wonderful variety of recipes and all you provide to those of us looking for inspiration!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Elizabeth! Thanks for the comment and for being here!
Another fantastic recipe! I’m not just learning new dishes, I’m learning a better way to cook– and eat! Thank you !!
Picked my first bunch of asparagus out of the garden today. Made this recipe, thank you, it was excellent!
Awesome Lisa- so happy you enjoyed it!