Ready in 20 minutes, this lemon kale orzo with garlic, breadcrumbs and pecorino cheese is a simple pasta that’s great to eat anytime of year.
Every week before I go to the grocery, I make sure that my kitchen is stocked with a few lemons and at least half a bunch of kale.
Even though technically they are fresh produce, I consider this fruit and vegetable combo pantry ingredients.
Unlike things that are more delicate, lemons and kale are hearty with a shelf life just long enough to give you time to use them before they go bad. And even if my kale is a touch wilted, I will still cook it in a recipe
I never know how my week will turn out despite my carefully planned shopping list, so having kale and lemons on-hand gives me options.
Lemon and kale are incredibly versatile. Both do not require cooking. Kale can be the base of a filling dinner salad tossed in bright, zippy lemon vinaigrette.
Pasta is another sure thing with these two. My version of lemon pepper spaghetti involves kale because I never can resist the urge to add greens wherever I can.
This spaghetti inspired me to make a pasta recipe that I think of as its cousin, lemon kale orzo, which is garlicky and fresh using the juice and zest of a lemon.
The best part is that you can eat it warm, at room temperature or as leftovers from the fridge. It tastes great each way.
When you serve it cold, you can think of it like an orzo salad.
For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Orzo is small pasta that’s shaped like rice.
You can cook it the same way you do pasta in salted boiling water, which is what I do in this recipe.
Keep in mind that you can also approach it like a quicker version of risotto. This involves simmering it in broth and stirring, except it takes a fraction of the time as arborio rice, which often used for risotto. Cooking it this way makes it more creamy.
You can find whole-wheat and gluten-free orzo at the grocery, which are fantastic substitutes.
I also love using orzo in soup instead of rice.
First, I get the orzo out of the way and cook it in a pot of salted boiling water. Instead of multi-tasking and starting to sauté the garlic in the oil, I wait till the orzo is al dente and rinse it in cold water.
Like most small pasta shapes, it is very easy to overcook orzo. Also, it has a tendency to stick together. I find it’s better to transfer the pasta to a strainer and wash it off with cold water. Then it is ready when I need it.
Another reason to do it this way is because the sautéing part does not take that long. If you try to do the pasta and the kale & breadcrumbs at the same time, you might not have the pasta ready when you need it.
Next, I warm olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and add the breadcrumbs. With a wooden spoon, I keep moving around the breadcrumbs in the oil. In a few minutes they become golden brown.
Then I add the minced garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and give it a half-minute to sizzle and become fragrant before stirring in the kale, lemon juice and zest.
Initially, it will look like a lot of kale, but it wilts pretty quickly. That’s the sign to stir in the orzo, pecorino cheese and parsley.
Finally, I give it a minute or so in the pan for the orzo to warm.
You can treat orzo pasta like a main dish or a side dish. It really depends on the amount you spoon onto each plate.
Serve more if you are planning it as a main and pair it with a salad.
It’s also a great side with roasted chicken or turkey.
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This came out great and took just minutes to put together. Excellent way to use kale! I didn’t have panko so used plain bread crumbs and it worked well. Threw in some fresh basil as well. Will definitely do this one again!
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This recipe is delicious!!
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I made this easy recipe last night as a main course for 3 people. We all loved it and there wasn’t a crumb leftover. It’s so easy and fast to prepare. Thank you so much for this recipe and I will be making it again and again.
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One of my favorites! I love the kale and lemon.
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