One-Pot Shrimp Orzo

One-Pot Shrimp Orzo is an easy one-pan meal that comes together in 20 minutes! Elegant enough for a dinner party, but simple enough for a weeknight dinner.

There is nothing better than a one-pot meal that is quick and delicious! This One-Pot Shrimp Orzo comes together quickly and is great for a simple weeknight dinner or for entertaining.

This is a surprisingly budget-friendly meal to serve as well. Stretch the cost of the shrimp by only using a pound of it and having delicious orzo pasta do the rest.

Here’s another meal that’s also super kid-friendly too. If you’ve never used orzo pasta, it’s great! Easy to eat, even little ones will love scooping up this rice-shaped pasta.

This makes for delicious leftovers as well. I love to eat it cold for lunch the next day, so yummy! I like to add this dish to my one-pot meal rotation along with my Cheesy Taco Pasta and Healthy Turkey Chili.

And, if you love comforting one-pot meals, be sure to check out this classic Italian Sausage and Lentils recipe. It’s a protein-packed meal that comes together in minutes!

What is Orzo?

While it may look like rice, orzo is actually a pasta. It is made just like pasta with flour (so it’s not gluten-free) and can be a rice substitute in dishes. It cooks small so it’s great to include in one-pot dinners as well as soups and stews.

Recipe substitutions and additions

This is a great base recipe for one-pot shrimp orzo. You can substitute and add items based on what you have on hand and your preferences.

The cherry tomatoes add a nice pop to this dish. But, if you don’t have cherry tomatoes, you can add diced or canned tomato but add it while the rice is cooking.

If you want a more mediterranean flare, feta cheese would be a great substitute for the parmesan. You don’t want a really melty cheese for this, so stick to a cheese that adds flavor.

To increase the veggies in this dish, diced bell pepper, zucchini, or broccoli would be a great addition. Add it while the bell pepper and zucchini will the tomatoes cook. For the broccoli, add small florets at the end of the cooking so they don’t get too soft.

Frozen veggies would also be great in this dish. You can add frozen peas, carrots, or corn. Just stir them in towards the end of the cooking so that they have a chance to warm through.

Not a shrimp fan? You can leave it out all together or sub in an other protein of your choice. Here, diced cooked rotisserie chicken would be good, or even cubed ham.

What type of shrimp to use?

You can use either medium or large shrimp for the recipe. The medium will run about 30-40 shrimp per pound.

I like to buy the frozen shrimp and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator. You can buy either raw or cooked shrimp. If you are using raw, follow the directions on the recipe card to make sure the shrimp is cooked through. For cooked shrimp, you really just want to heat it though, so you can add it more towards the end of the cooking time.

Keep the shrimp whole with the tail on or remove the tail. I like to dice up the shrimp before adding it to the orzo so that there is a piece of shrimp in every bite of orzo. However, you can keep the shrimp whole if you prefer.

Shrimp is a healthy protein that’s great for quick dinners. If you have leftover shrimp, be sure to try my Shrimp Mango Cucumber Salad that’s full of fresh summer flavors.

How to make Shrimp Orzo?

To make one-pot shrimp orzo, start by heating the olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes start to pop, about seven minutes.

Then, add in the dried orzo so it can absorb some of the flavors and brown a bit before adding in the chicken broth and water. Cook the orzo in the same pan, adding in lemon zest, lemon juice and then the shrimp about five minutes before the orzo is al dente.

Off the heat, stir in the parsley and top with parmesan. And that’s it! Dinner is done in less than 20 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• Have your ingredients ready to go, this dish comes together very fast.
• Use a large skillet or pot for this dish because the orzo will expand.
• Fresh or frozen shrimp work great here. You can stretch the servings by dicing the shrimp ahead of time.
• Add frozen peas, or other veggies to amp up the fiber in this dish.
• Change up the flavor but finishing off the dish with feta instead of parmesan.
• Got chicken instead of shrimp? Add cooked cubed chicken in place of the shrimp.

I love easy weeknight pastas! Be sure to check out my other favorites like Easy Cheese and Beef Stuffed Shells or Baked Spaghetti with Ground Turkey.

One-Pot Shrimp Orzo: easy, fast, and delicious… the perfect meal! So give this recipe a try and fall in love with the ease of cooking with orzo pasta. Enjoy!