Lemon Kale Orzo

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You can make this orzo recipe in 20 minutes, and it only has 11 ingredients. Even though it’s so simple, it still delivers on taste and texture. The orzo is lemony and garlicky with a little toasty crunch.

The prep work is minimal. You just have to mince the garlic, chop the kale, zest the lemon and grate the pecorino cheese. Nothing complicated.

Enjoy this orzo recipe warm, at room temperature or cold. Small pasta shapes are very versatile. They play well with many other ingredients, and you can serve them in multiple ways. Eat this orzo as a vegetarian main dish, side dish or a pasta salad.

The Ingredients

This is what you need:

• Lemon: Including the lemon zest and juice means nothing goes to waste, and the orzo turns out fresh and full of citrus.
• Kale:  Just tear the leaves off a bunch of curly kale, discarding the stems, and chop the greens. If you don’t have curly kale, you can swap it out for lacinato kale. You should have 3 cups of chopped leaves.
• Orzo is rice-shaped pasta. Cook it in salted boiling water.
• Olive Oil: For the best taste, use high-quality extra virgin olive oil. 
• Garlic: I mince 4 garlic cloves to infuse the oil and breadcrumbs. With so few ingredients, I like really amping up the garlic.
• Panko breadcrumbs: These Japanese-style breadcrumbs are something I always have in my pantry. They add great crunch to so many dishes and toast quickly on the stove.
• Pecorino: This hard Italian cheese is saltier and more pungent than Parmesan. If you only have Parmesan at home, then you can substitute.
• Red pepper flakes, salt & pepper season this orzo dish. Sprinkling in red pepper flakes is such a simple way to add a touch of heat to pasta. Taste it when you finish cooking in case you need to adjust the seasonings.
• Parsley: Chopped fresh parsley gives the orzo a nice herby finish. 

How To Make Lemon Kale Orzo

Overall, I approach this recipe in 2 sections. Cooking the orzo is what you should get out of the way first. Simmer it in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente according to the recommended cook time on the package. Then drain it in a strainer and rinse the orzo with cold water.

1. Toast the breadcrumbs. Over medium heat, warm the oil in a large skillet. Stir in the breadcrumbs and give them 2-3 minutes to brown.

2. Stir in the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. It will take just 30 seconds for the breadcrumbs to become fragrant.

3. And the kale, lemon zest and juice. Sauté the kale giving the leaves 2-3 minutes to soften.

4. Stir the orzo, pecorino and parsley into the kale. The orzo will need a minute or so to warm. Spoon onto serving dishes and top with additional Parmesan and parsley.

Serving

As mentioned, you can approach this orzo recipe as vegetarian main dish or a side dish. Serve it with a salad such as a basic arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette or an Italian chopped salad. If you do serve it as a main, you can pair it with a vegetable side such as sautéed broccolini or parmesan roasted zucchini.

Leftovers & Storage

You can store leftover orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Warm it in the microwave. The breadcrumbs will lose some of their texture, and the orzo will soften a bit. You can also eat leftovers cold like a pasta salad and stir in chopped kale and balsamic vinaigrette.