Greek Orzo with Lemon, Feta & Courgette

Published by

Jasmine

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Today I’m sharing a quick and easy one pot that’s packed with flavour and perfect for summer evenings…

INGREDIENTS

Orzo:

Orzo pasta

Vegetable stock

Garlic

Red onion

Oregano

Vegetables:

Courgette (I used half green and half yellow, but you don’t need to – a large green courgette will do)

Spinach

Rocket

Toppings:

Feta cheese (vegan feta can be used to make this completely plant-based)

Lemon juice and zest

Dill

Mint

Blanched almonds

TIPS

This is a very simple recipe – the only element of technique is the order in which you add the ingredients. To keep the flavours fresh, I actually remove the pan from the heat to add in the spinach, rocket and half of the fresh herbs, so it’s just the retained heat that wilts them a little. Likewise, I add the lemon juice and zest towards the end, along with the feta. Then when serving, I top things off with more feta and fresh herbs. You can even add a drizzle of finishing extra-virgin olive oil at the end if you have a really nice bottle!

Greek Orzo with Lemon, Feta & Courgette

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A fresh, summery orzo dish with Greek flavours

No special equipment or advance prep needed


Ingredients

  • 1 large or 2 small courgettes (finely sliced)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (pressed, grated or finely chopped)
  • 1/2 a red onion (finely diced)
  • 1 tsp of dried oregano
  • 1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 300ml of boiling water immediately prior to use
  • 150g of orzo pasta
  • 1 unwaxed lemon (juice and zest)
  • 30g of spinach (roughly chopped)
  • 15g of rocket (roughly chopped)
  • A small handful (c. 2-3g) of fresh mint (stems removed, chopped)
  • A small handful (c. 2-3g) of fresh dill (large stems removed, chopped)
  • 1 tbsp of blanched almonds
  • 40g of feta cheese
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for cooking (optional: add a finishing drizzle at the end too)
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Pan fry the blanched almonds in a wide-based lidded pan over an medium heat until they pick up some colour (5-7 minutes) – set them aside to cool
  2. Boil the kettle and in the same pan over a medium heat drizzle some olive oil and sauté the garlic and red onion until fragrant (a couple of minutes)
  3. Season with salt and pepper and add the oregano and courgette – cook for 5-7 minutes until it’s softened but still has some ‘bite’ and season once again
  4. Prepare the vegetable stock
  5. Add the orzo to the pan and toast for 60 seconds before adding around 1/4 of the stock – cover and continue to cook
  6. After 3-5 minutes, stir the orzo and add another 1/4 of the stock, cover and repeat until the orzo is cooked and all the stock has been absorbed
  7. Take the cool blanched almonds and cut them in half lengthways
  8. Turn the heat off the pan, add the lemon juice, half of the fresh mint and dill and your spinach and rocket, stir and cover to steam
  9. Serve topped with the almonds, a crumble of feta, the rest of the fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil (optional)

Let me know if you try this recipe!

See how it comes together here:

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