There’s something magical about a basic one-pan dish. And something equally magical about orzo.
But trust me, you don’t need to know magic to make this super simple lemon garlic orzo dish.
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What’s the deal with orzo?
Have you ever worked with orzo? It’s a short, small pasta that kind of looks like rice but isn’t. It bridges the gap between rice and most other pastas. That is to say, you can use this much like the way you would use rice, but it’s much more satisfying, I feel, than just rice and veggies (and a protein, at times) alone. It feels like full-on comfort food! It’s really versatile.
You can find gluten-free varieties in some stores or online. If you can’t find a gluten-free type, then you can absolutely replace it with quinoa or another small pasta such as farfalle, rotini or penne. Just note you might need to follow the serving size on the box to get the pasta to liquid ratio correct and it may be harder to cook it all in one pan. Elbow macs would work here, too, as they are typically pretty small.
Order gluten-free orzo online here.
Orzo is a favorite of mine. It soaks up all the flavor in this dish and is so comforting (and easy) to eat out of a meal prep container.
What’s in this orzo skillet dish?
You can see we love lemon, garlic, and broccoli together and they’re a classic combo with orzo. For this dish, I used Aidell’s chicken & apple sausage in this meal because it’s so tasty and cheap. You can use chorizo or even pancetta, which you can buy already diced! A classic sweet or hot Italian sausage would be good too. But you can absolutely use vegan/vegetarian varieties if needed or none at all. The vegetarian sausage is usually found next to the tofu in most stores.
Feel free to also try tempeh with this meal to replace sausage, but note that you’ll absolutely need to season or marinate it well before cooking.
And you can take this in another easy direction too, by tossing in leftover chicken, for example. Frozen shrimp is a fabulous add to orzo with lemon and garlic and broccoli, and it defrosts and cooks in a hurry. You can do shrimp for meal prep; just know that sometimes when you reheat shrimp it can get a little rubbery so be gentle. That being said, this is also a delicious COLD salad.
How to make other substitutions
The bitterness of broccoli works great with lemon and garlic, but don’t feel like you need to use it, especially if you have something else on hand. The next line of great swaps would be other dark bitter green veggies such as Brussels sprouts, kale, broccolini, or broccoli rabe. But please feel free to use green beans, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms, peas, spinach, or even asparagus in this meal if you like.
So versatile, so easy… you’re going to LOVE it. Change it up based on what you have on hand. It’ll always be good. I promise.
How to double or add more to this orzo skillet meal prep
To double this recipe, simply double the ingredients but allow for more cooking time. You may need to do it in batches depending on the size of your pan. Or use two pans!
To add more volume, start with adding another vegetable like the ones mentioned above. If you still need more volume in the meal, add more sausage (1/2 a link per serving extra). You can also just add more pasta if you like.
How to store and reheat this orzo skillet
This lemon garlic orzo skillet can last for up to four days in the fridge and 3-6 months in the freezer.
I find it’s best when it’s reheated in the microwave for 90 seconds or on the stove, covered. Make sure to add a few drops of water or 2 teaspoons of broth before reheating because the orzo like all pastas will soak up extra liquid and you’ll need to rehydrate it a bit when you’re reheating it. Sticking is normal! The extra water/broth (or even a little olive oil, too) will help.
I also recommend adding more Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast on top before reheating–that also helps!
Happy prepping 🙂
Don’t forget to try out our other delicious recipes!
- Veggie Pesto Pasta with Chickpeas
- Vegan Cauliflower Tacos with Chunky Salsa
- Easy Chicken Satay Recipe With Stir-Fried Veggies
- Vegetarian Quesadillas with Sweet Potato and Black Beans
- Pan-Seared Salmon, Coconut Rice & Mango Salsa
Lemon Garlic Orzo & Broccoli Skillet With Sausage (Vegan & GF-Friendly)
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 3 sausage links meat or veggie, chopped into rounds
- 1 large head broccoli chopped into florets
- 1 cup orzo use GF if needed
- 1 1/2 cups broth or water, you might need more
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. After a minute or two, add the sliced sausage and cook through completely, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. It's okay if it sticks a little or there are brown bits in the pan.
- When the sausage is cooked through, add the chopped broccoli, orzo, veggie broth/water, 2-3 squeezes of lemon juice, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste, along with crushed red pepper, if using. Stir well to combine and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, take a bite of the pasta. It should be soft and completely cooked. If it's sticking to the pan a lot and isn't totally cooked, add a few more tablespoons of broth/water. If there's too much water left in the pan, cook uncovered until it evaporates. (Think of it like risotto!)
- When the orzo is done cooking, add the remaining lemon juice wedges and stir in the Parmesan cheese/nutritional yeast.
- To assemble: divide the mixture into 3 meal prep containers. That’s it!
Liz Cell says
Great recipe! The only suggestion I might have is to add the broccoli after the orzo has cooked for a while, maybe 8-10 minutes or so. I found that adding the broccoli at the same time as the orzo resulted in mushy veg, and I like the broccoli with a bit of crunch!
Nami says
This was the perfect suggestion Liz. I put the broccoli in later and it was perfect. 4 days later out of the microwave and the broccoli was crisp-cooked. 🙂
Alyssa Hirsh says
I would agree!!
Alexis Frantzen says
So delicious! I crisped up mine by accident so definitely needed a bit more broth but this dish is amazing! And the crispness I kind of enjoy!