You can make this cheesy, garlicky Mediterranean orzo pasta recipe in just 15 minutes!
If you love orzo pasta recipes that feel simple yet a little special, this one’s for you. Toasting the orzo in good extra virgin olive oil brings out its nutty flavor, which is a great match for umami-rich parmesan, tangy sun dried tomatoes, and fresh herbs.
Though it looks like rice, orzo is a small, quick-cooking pasta that’s perfect for busy weeknights. We have so many delicious orzo recipes, from creamy orzo with Greek yogurt, to lemony orzo soup, to orzo risotto.
This “kicked up” orzo is very much a pantry hero that’s perfect all year. It’s a satisfying meal in its own right, but fits in well alongside lamb, baked chicken, or cod, and beyond.
Ingredients and Substitutions
This Mediterranean-style toasted orzo pasta is made with just a few ingredients with bold flavors. Here is what you’ll need to make it:
- Extra virgin olive oil: I used our Italian Nocellara EVOO, which is a delicious, medium-intensity olive oil with aromas of freshly cooked tomatoes and vegetables.
- Orzo pasta: You can use regular, whole wheat, or even gluten-free orzo pasta for this recipe.
- READ MORE: Wondering what is orzo, exactly? Check out our guide: All About Orzo.
- Herbs: Parsley and dill bring freshness. Swap with basil and mint, if you prefer.
- Spices: Red pepper flakes are optional but add a nice heat! Salt and pepper perk everything up.
- Garlic: Substitute shallot or green onion.
- Lemon: Substitute fresh lime juice.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: You can use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil or packaged dry, either way. I prefer the rich natural flavor of unsulfured.
- Grated parmesan: Substitute pecorino.
How to Make this Easy Orzo Pasta Recipe
This orzo pasta recipe comes together quickly, so it’s best to prep the ingredients before starting. Here are the steps:
- Get ready. Bring 7 cups water to a boil. Mince 5 garlic cloves. Ready yourself 1 packed cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup chopped dill, 1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes, and 1/2 to 3/4 cups grated parmesan.
- Toast the orzo. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high. Add 1 1/2 cups orzo and toss until toasted to a beautiful golden brown.
- Cook the orzo. Add the boiling water to the saucepan and season well with salt. Cook to al dente according to the package instructions (about 7 to 8 minutes). Reserve one cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
- Make the herby olive oil sauce. In a large pan, warm 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and season with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook, tossing regularly, until just fragrant. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon. Raise the heat if needed to bring to a boil. Add the parsley and dill.
- Combine. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sun dried tomatoes and half of the grated parmesan. Toss to combine. If the pasta looks dry, add a little more of the pasta cooking water and mix vigorously until it looks glossy. Finish with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if you like.
What to Serve with Orzo Pasta
You can easily turn orzo pasta into a meal on its own, or use it as a versatile side dish. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
- Make it a vegetarian meal: Toss your orzo with a simple salad, like arugula salad with avocado.
- Serve it as a side: Orzo makes an excellent stand-in for rice, as it soaks up sauces beautifully and goes with just about anything. Try this orzo recipe with saucy mains like Greek baked meatballs and garlic Dijon chicken.
More Orzo Pasta Recipes
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One-Pan Lemon Chicken Orzo with Peas and Spinach
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One Pan Chicken Orzo
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Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
- 7 cups boiling water
- Kosher salt
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 packed cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup chopped dill
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- Black pepper
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup grated parmesan, plus more to your liking
Instructions
- Toast the orzo. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high. Add the orzo and toss until toasted to a beautiful golden brown.
- Cook the orzo. Add the boiling water to the saucepan and season well with salt. Cook to al dente according to the package instructions (about 7 to 8 minutes). Reserve one cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
- Make the herby olive oil sauce. In a large pan, warm 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and season with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes, if using. Cook, tossing regularly, until just fragrant. Add the lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Raise the heat if needed to bring to a boil. Add the parsley and dill.
- Combine. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sun dried tomatoes and half of the grated parmesan. Toss to combine. If the pasta looks dry, add a little more of the pasta cooking water and mix vigorously until it looks glossy. Finish with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if you like.
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Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil and sun dried tomatoes used in this recipe.
- This recipe will feed 4 people as a vegetarian main and about 6 or so as a side.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in a tightly closed container. Warm over medium heat.
Nutrition
Try Our Authentic Italian Olive Oil
Hand-picked and cold-extracted Extra Virgin Olive Oil from 100% Nocellara del Belice Sicilian olives.
*This post has recently been updated with new information for the readers’ benefit.
Like another commenter, I had to read the directions a few times. I also cut back on the olive oil, added more lemon juice, and had to substitute parmesan with romano since I was out. I also added some roasted chicken for protein.
I think this would be good with toasted pine nuts or substitute the dill with basil. It was delicious and easy to make. I’m a fan of toasting orzo!
I love it! To be fair, I did adjust the recipe a little bit. I didn’t have any fresh parsley or dill, so I used fresh spinach and arugula and basil instead. Delicious!!
Hi, Amanda! I’m Summer and I work here at The Mediterranean Dish! Thrilled to hear you loved it and that you made it your own. Thanks for stopping by to let us know!
Made this last night because it sounded great under some cod I was making. Unfortunately it just didn’t have much taste and it had way too much olive oil!
This recipe went so well with lemon and herb salmon. Very simple and delightful.
Oh my goodness this is amazing. I was scrounging through my sister’s kitchen for a simple single-serve dinner idea & thought that the 1/2 cup of orzo & sun dried tomatoes she had would be good together, but didn’t know what else to add until I found this recipe. I had to sub the fresh herbs for dried (and I used refrigerated lemon juice) — they worked in a pinch, but I will be remaking this for my loved ones with fresh ingredients and some extra veggies/protein to round it out. Not that it needs them for flavor! The sauce was so fragrant and complemented the toasted orzo, sun dried tomatoes, & parmesan beautifully. Perfect inexpensive, easy, delicious meal that is definitely going in my repertoire. I was seriously so sad when I finished my bowl.
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your process and leave such a great review! We appreciate it!!
Hey Suzy! Loved your recipe! The herb sauce was beautiful together with the orzo. I also grilled chicken breasts and made sautéed spinach with garlic. Everything went well together.
Thank you!
Yay! Thanks for the great review, Shanta!
Will this work with whole wheat orzo?
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Does this freeze well?
Hi, Brandy. We really don’t recommend freezing this one. The freezing/thawing process might negatively impact the texture of the dish making it mushy.
If you follow the recipe exactly, it will be bland. Use less dill and way more lemon. Also, don’t just blindly follow the steps. There are two different times where the author tells you to pour water into hot oil. With the steps being laid out so poorly to time things, I was STRESSED lol. I wasn’t paying as much attention as I should have and I just barely caught myself from burning myself really badly with the hot oil/water.
Under Nutrition, what does Serving: 4g mean? You can only eat 4 grams for 517.4Kcal?
Hi, Sue. Thanks for catching that. It was a bit of a typo and has been fixed. There are 4 servings in this recipe (if you are going to serve it as a vegetarian main course). Each serving is actually 536 calories.
Very good recipe. Added lemon zest and chopped arugula, left out the dill. Thank you!
Hi Suzy,
I am making a LARGE meal that involves multiple items to cook. I was wondering if this recipe would taste just fine if I made it the day before and then heat it up on the stove the day of the event?
Hi, Rachel. For best flavor and texture, we recommend serving this immediately after cooking. You can try to make this ahead, I just worry that it might loose some of it’s life when you go to reheat it.
Looking forward to trying this tonight…. but wondering about changing up and using spinach…. thoughts?
Hi, Donnie! I think spinach would be a delicious addition to this! enjoy!
Good, but a bit bland even though I used chicken broth. Next time I will increase the salt and lemon juice. I couldn’t get behind using dill, so maybe that’s why it needed more flavor. I should have subbed basil for the dill. I did add some sautéed mushrooms. Will make again with a bit of tweaking for bolder flavor. thank you for sharing your recipe.
You heat 1/2 cup of oil? That can’t be correct?
Hi, Ali. 1/2 cup is correct… it’s important for that amazing sauce!
Amazingly unhealthy and I don’t normally fuss about a few grams of fat here or there.
One half cup of EVOO contains 108 grams of fat total. This recipe says it makes four servings. The nutritional information provided at the bottom of the recipe states that that there is 4.7 grams of fat (per serving). What happened to the 89.2 grams of fat that was in the EVOO all by itself?
Hi, Dianne. We took another look and realized that 1/2 cup olive oil was left of the ingredients list, therefore it was not part of the nutritional information calculation. Thanks so much for pointing this out. It has been fixed.
Love the toasted orzo. Smells amazing when toasting and taste great, the whole family loved this.