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Lemon Parmesan Broccoli-Rice Orzo

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March 24, 2019 by Wine a Little Cook A Lot 4 Comments

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Lemon Parmesan broccoli-rice orzo is cheesy with hints of balsamic and basil for an easy and healthy side dish recipe perfect for Spring!

A white bowl of orzo broccoli rice with lemon and Parmesan cheese. A whole lemon and fresh basil leaves are next to the bowl in the background.

Imagine Spring without lemon.  That would be like Fall without pumpkin or Christmas without gingerbread!!! 

This lemon Parmesan broccoli-rice orzo is packed with bright Spring flavor.

It’s made with riced broccoli that’s cooked with garlic and onions and flavored with balsamic, lemon and fresh basil.  The orzo is mixed in along with Parmesan cheese making it an easy, and cheesy orzo side dish.

Because what’s Spring without a little lemon?

A white bowl full of orzo pasta with broccoli rice, lemon and balsamic. Fresh basil, Parmesan and lemon zest are sprinkled on the top

Is orzo rice or pasta?

Orzo is technically pasta.

It has the shape of rice, but the texture of pasta making it a little confusing as to what it actually is.

It is not a grain and it does contain wheat so unfortunately it is not gluten free.

How do you cook orzo?

You can cook orzo as you would rice or pasta:

  1. Boil it as you would regular pasta in salted water.
  2. Add it to a boiling pot of soup and cook until tender.
  3. Cook it risotto-style in a risotto recipe.
  4. Cook is like you would in a pilaf recipe; meaning cook it in liquid until the liquid is fully absorbed.

Orzo is very versatile; besides using it as a rice or in soup, you can also use it in a cold pasta salad side dish!

A serving bowl of orzo pasta with broccoli and lemon. A fresh lemon and fresh basil are in the background

Ingredients in lemon Parmesan broccoli-rice orzo:

  • orzo
  • butter
  • onion
  • garlic
  • broccoli rice
  • balsamic vinegar
  • lemon juice + zest
  • Parmesan cheese
  • fresh basil

For this orzo recipe, we’re cooking the orzo as we would regular pasta, then adding it to the broccoli rice mixture and serving it as a warm (or room temperature) side dish.

Instead of cauliflower rice, we’re using broccoli rice for a pop of color and added nutrition.

To make lemon Parmesan Orzo:

  1. First, cook orzo according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid before draining.
  2. To make the broccoli rice (or riced broccoli), we’re using the same method as you would for cauliflower rice: place florets in food processor and pulse until finely riced.
  3. Heat butter over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add onions and garlic. Then add broccoli rice and cook until tender.
  4. Stir in balsamic vinegar and lemon.
  5. Add Parmesan cheese, reserved pasta water, fresh basil and salt and pepper.
An easy and healthy orzo side dish made with lemon, broccoli and Parmesan cheese

Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy :).

Continue to Content
A white bowl of orzo broccoli rice with lemon and Parmesan cheese. A whole lemon and fresh basil leaves are next to the bowl in the background.

Lemon Parmesan Broccoli-Rice Orzo

Yield: 6 as a side dish
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Lemon Parmesan broccoli-rice orzo is cheesy with hints of balsamic and basil for an easy and healthy side dish recipe perfect for Spring!

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup Orzo Pasta
  • 1 head Broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 4 tbsp Butter
  • 1/2 Yellow Onion, finely diced
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • Juice of 1 Lemon
  • Zest of 1 Lemon
  • 1 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ cup Fresh Basil, chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of liquid, drain and set aside.
  2. To make riced broccoli: in batches (depending how big your processor is), place broccoli florets in food processor and pulse until it resembles rice. Place in bowl and repeat with remaining florets.
  3. Heat butter over medium heat in large sauce pan. Add onion, garlic and riced broccoli; cook until onions and broccoli are tender, about 5-7 minutes. 
  4. Add balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and zest, cook 2 minutes.
  5. Add cooked orzo to broccoli mixture along with Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water in step 1.  Cook additional 2 minutes. Add more water if needed so pasta isn't dry.
  6. Remove from heat, fold in fresh basil and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

*This dish can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept in the refrigerator.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 190 g
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 249Total Fat: 12.83gSaturated Fat: 7.13gUnsaturated Fat: 4.07gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 530mgCarbohydrates: 24.3gFiber: 4.6gSugar: 3.62gProtein: 11.69g

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @winealittlecookalot on Instagram and hashtag it #winealittlecookalot

© Wine a Little Cook A Lot
Cuisine: American / Category: Side Dish
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Filed Under: Side Dishes, Vegetarian & Vegan Tagged With: broccolirice, easterrecipes, easysidedish, healthyrecipes, orzopasta, simplerecipes, springrecipes

Previous Post: « Lemon Maple & Ginger Roasted Carrots
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sheri

    May 10, 2020 at 7:43 pm

    Step 5 mentions adding chicken stock, but this is not listed in the ingredients.

    Reply
    • Wine a Little Cook A Lot

      May 11, 2020 at 12:35 pm

      Hi Sheri, so sorry about that typo! I’ve fixed the recipe instructions. You’ll want to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water from the orzo (no chicken stock) and add it in step 5.

      Reply
  2. Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes

    March 25, 2019 at 1:06 pm

    5 stars
    I am so excited to make this! Broccoli rice is not something I have experimented with much – but it is one of my favourite veggies, and I adore orzo. Add into that, two of my favourites – lemon and parmesan, and I am a happy girl!

    Reply
    • Wine a Little Cook A Lot

      March 26, 2019 at 1:56 am

      Thank you Alexandra! This was my first recipe with broccoli rice and it was so easy! Great way to incorporate veggies 🙂

      Reply

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