My Brain…It’s Like Lemon Orzo: Tangy, Zesty, and Sometimes Lost in the Sauce.

So, my daughter Melissa (aka Baby Girl to me 🤗) sweetly inquired about my  lemon orzo recipe.  “Yep, it’s on the blog!” I declared with confidence.  Cut to me frantically searching my own website, convinced I’d officially lost it.  Turns out, I did write it…last Spring!  And then promptly filed it away in the “Drafts” abyss.  A culinary ghost town, if you will.  Thanks to my hubby who suggested I check drafts, I found it hiding away!  Now it is ready for you to find too.  I am so excited for my sweet daughter to make this! (And for you to make it too, of course!).  So without further ado, here’s the recipe that almost wasn’t: my bright, tangy, and delightfully simple Lemon Orzo!

What is orzo?

Orzo is a thin, oval, rice-shaped pasta. In Italy, orzo is classified as pastina or “little pasta,” which is a category of very small pastas.  Orzo is typically used in soups in Italian cuisine, but you can use it in any number of pasta dishes, soups, grain bowls, and other places where a petite, toothsome pasta can come in handy.

What Is Orzo Made From?

Orzo is made from semolina, a coarser, often golden color flour that comes from durum wheat and has a high gluten content. But don’t be confused — orzo isn’t a whole grain, although you can purchase a whole-wheat version.

Are There Other Names for Orzo?

In Italy, this pastina (“little pasta”) often goes by the name of risi (which actually means rice) or rosini, not orzo, which means barley in Italian. The name in the United States was likely inspired by its resemblance to that grain.  To further the confusion, if you look for the name “orzo” in Italy, you’ll often find it applied to “caffè d’orzo,” a grain beverage common on many café menus.  In Greece, orzo is known as kritharaki.

While orzo looks a lot like rice, it’s actually a tiny, grain-shaped pasta.  In Italian, the word orzo means barley as it resembled unhulled barley.

Other facts about orzo:

Just like other pasta shapes, orzo is made with semolina flour, so it is not gluten-free.  If you’re looking for gluten-free orzo, you can usually find a few options next to the regular orzo in the grocery store.

Variations to try

Lemon Orzo Ingredients:

• 1½ cups (355 grams) chicken stock
• 1 cup (140 grams) orzo
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) freshly squeezed lemon juice
• zest of half a lemon (½ tablespoon)
• 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter
• 1½ tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions:

Add chicken stock to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.

1. Add orzo, salt and pepper to boiling water and give it a quick stir to combine.
2. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium.  Cook the orzo for about 12 minutes, or until the liqiud has been absorbed by the pasta and is tender.
3. Remove from the heat.  Stir in butter, parsley, lemon zest and juice.

This makes a delicious side dish or is great on its own too.

I hope you make this zesty orzo dish, and if you do, please tag me on Instagram @goodeatsbymimi.  I would love to hear from you and see your photos!