One Pot Lemony Kale Orzo Pilaf is a flavorful and nutritious side that does dual duty as a quick weeknight dinner side and the next day can be turned into a cold orzo salad for lunch.
Orzo salad recipe
Orzo is rice shaped pasta that makes it easy to mix up your standard side dishes. Perfect warm or cold, it’s super versatile and delish however you serve it.
With a few pantry staples and your choice of fresh garden produce this all-in-one side with bright flavor is hearty enough to accompany any protein you grill, roast or fry up!
Ingredients
Use whichever greens and aromatics, liquid and pasta you have on hand. For this recipe we’re using kale, scallions and garlic, chicken stock and orzo. But it can be made with whatever combination of ingredients you have on hand.
Get creative and mix up the ingredients! This is such a great method that you can use with whatever you have on hand. Different greens, herbs, aromatics, citrus and proteins. There are really endless possibilities!
Step by step instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat add aromatics (scallion whites and garlic) and cook until fragrant.
- Throw in greens (kale) and cook until wilted.
- Add liquid (chicken stock) and bring to a boil.
- Stir in pasta (orzo) and cook, uncovered, until soft.
- Top with citrus, herbs, cheese and serve.
How to serve
I like to make a double batch and serve half warm as a side dish. It makes a great addition to a simple meal of baked chicken thighs and green salad.
Then save the remaining and serve it as a cold salad for lunch the next day.
Served cold this orzo recipe makes a great packable lunch box meal or road trip food. Delicious and flavorful lemon, orzo, scallions, kale and parmesan really hit all the right notes for a well rounded lunch on-the-go. Especially with the addition of chicken.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 small bunch scallions sliced with whites and greens separate
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 medium bunch of kale washed well and torn into bite sized pieces
- 1 small lemon zested and juiced
- 1 32 ounce box low sodium chicken broth 4 cups
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 16 ounce package orzo
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium. Add scallion whites only and cook until soft, about 1 minute.
- Add garlic, red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds before adding kale. Fry until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Add chicken stock and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in lemon zest and orzo before reducing heat to medium. Simmer uncovered until orzo is tender, about 8 minutes. Stirring a few times to keep from sticking.
- Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and cool about 5 minutes. Then add paremesan and top with scallion greens.
Nutrition
Maggie
Awesome! Just finished making this and I’m in love 🙂 I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs & cooked them in my deep Le Creuset braising pan, then removed them until I finished this recipe. I deglazed the pan with some white cooking wine & I added some finely minced shallots with the green onions – other than that, I pretty-much just followed the recipe. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any fresh Parmesan to use (that would’ve been so much better) so used grated Parmesan from a container 🙁 I used more fresh lemon juice than called for because I love lemon. When the Orzo was done, I used my food shears to cut up the chicken thighs, stirring them into the Orzo mixture.
Really wonderful recipe that I will definitely be making again! Thank you!
Tristin Rieken
Ahhhh, thank you for sharing! I will for sure be making mine with chicken and deglazing with white wine next time too!