This Lemon Orzo with Asparagus is a simple, yet elegant dish that could be served as a side dish or starter.
I have a super simple side dish recipe to share with you today. I simply love this, it’s so fresh and delicious. If you’ve never cooked with orzo before, it’s actually an Italian dried pasta. The interesting fact is that orzo in Italian means barley so this is why each piece of orzo is the shape of an unprocessed grain of barley.
Orzo is very versatile, it can be used in soups or salads, or creamy risotto-like dishes, even casseroles. Orzo is perfect to use in stuffing peppers or tomatoes, the possibilities are endless. Here I chose to make a simple side dish with some fresh asparagus and a lemony dressing. We served it as a side dish to some delicious garlic and paprika chicken drumsticks, recipe will be shared later.
The dressing is quite simple to make, all you need is the zest and juice from a lemon, some minced garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
I used a whole pound of asparagus and here is a simple method of cooking your asparagus. Simply place the asparagus in a baking dish, I used a 9×13 inch baking dish, and pour boiling water over it. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it set until the water is warm to the touch. A perfect no-fuss method to make perfectly cooked asparagus.
The orzo is boiled in water and chicken broth that is seasoned with salt and some turmeric. This is why the orzo has this beautiful yellow color.
Once everything is cooked you simply toss all the ingredients together including the dressing. You can at this point top the salad with some additional butter if you wish.
If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Take a picture and tag it #jocooks on Instagram so we can see it. I always love to see what you guys come up with!
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Lemon Orzo with Asparagus
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1 lemon zested
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil
For the orzo
- 1 lb asparagus
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 1/2 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1/4 cup fresh Parsley chopped
Instructions
Dressing
- Place the lemon zest, juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a deep medium bowl.
- Add oil and whisk until it emulsifies a bit. Set aside.
Orzo
- Snap the end pieces off the asparagus and lay the asparagus stalks in a baking dish, 9x13 inch. Pour boiling water over the asparagus (just enough to cover it), cover dish with plastic wrap and let sit until the water is warm to the touch. Drain water and cut the asparagus stalks into 2 inch pieces.
- Place the chicken broth and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the salt and turmeric and bring back to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Drain orzo, but do not rinse it. Place the hot orzo in a large bowl, add the asparagus and parsley. Whisk the dressing if needed and pour it over the salad. Mix well.
- Top with butter if preferred.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen
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DB mom says
***** 10 STARS *****
My 2 kids (12 & 14) devoured this! So incredibly happy I found your recipe on Pinterest, thank you!
The microwave/boil asparagus method was perfect. The lemon dressing was amazing, not too lemony at all! I used frozen chopped garlic and tripled the dressing. Added feta cheese and chicken breast strips (from frozen) at the end. Very forgiving recipe for both vegetarian and meat eaters!
Honestly I forgot to add the chicken broth (bouillon) and turmeric to the boiling water for the orzo BUT it was still tasty – I will definitely have to make it again and follow the recipe. Kids took leftovers for lunch next day, and they want this for lunch again this week!
Joanna Cismaru says
So happy to hear you guys enjoyed this! 🙂
Doreen says
I had this salad years ago while traveling on business. This recipe is even better with the turmeric. I served it warm and the next day had it cold for lunch. I loved it cold too! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Joanna Cismaru says
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!
Pati Manich says
I have made this recipe over and over, because friends love it, I love it and it’s beautiful.
My father was Italian and always made our regular salad dressing with lemon juice and olive oil, so it also reminds me of him.
Kat says
Loved this recipe! I did a few things differently, just because other things were going on and it happened that way. Let me know what you think. I love your asparagus method. It worked perfectly. So then instead of draining the orzo, I added the cooked and chopped asparagus and cooked the orzo longer. It soaked up all the extra liquid so that I didn’t have to strain and at the end I added Parmesan cheese! Delicious and we had it with chicken and veggie kebabs. I will definitely make this again! Thank you and I love your website. We use it often!
Beatrice Kalle says
I roasted the asparagus with grape tomatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. It came out great. Added additional Parmesan cheese.
Ali says
Could this be served cold or room temperature or is it best still warm? Could I make a head and reheat? Thoughts?
Joanna Cismaru says
You could serve this either warm or cold, though I prefer it a little warm and yes you could definitely make it ahead and reheat in the microwave.
Janet B. says
I made this today to take to my 91 year old mom for her birthday lunch tomorrow. I tasted it and it is really really good. I love the way it says to cook the asparagus. It all came out great. I highly recommend this. I thought the lemon was perfect. Thanks Jo for posting this.