Creamy Spinach Orzo with Tomatoes

This Creamy Spinach Orzo is the side dish to end all other side dishes! Not only will you impress everyone at the table, but this colorful and tasty dish is packed with veggies and creamy goodness, without adding cream! Hungry? Let’s get cooking!

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You may ask how you can get a creamy texture with no cream, and I’ll tell you – it’s all in how you cook this amazing and easy Creamy Spinach Orzo side dish!

Ready to eat? Read on and see how to make this easy orzo side dish recipe today!

What Is Orzo?

It’s got a funny sounding name, but orzo is nothing more than pasta. It’s often in the shape of a flattened grain of rice, or it can be almost in a teardrop shape.

It’s a quick-cooking pasta, so don’t set it and forget it! This dish cooks up into perfection in about 10 minutes.

What You Need To Make Creamy Spinach Orzo

• Large skillet with lid
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife – Henckels are my absolute favorite for quality, durability, and value!

Ingredients

• Spinach – Fresh spinach, washed and spun dry. Baby spinach works best—it’s more tender. Don’t use frozen spinach—it’ll make the dish watery and mushy.
• Orzo – Regular orzo works best. Don’t rinse the orzo before or after cooking—the starch helps make the sauce creamy.
• Cherry or grape tomatoes – Halve them before adding. Whole tomatoes won’t release their juices. Don’t use large tomatoes—they’ll make the dish watery.
• Low-sodium chicken broth – Or vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian. Low-sodium broth gives you more control over the final salt level.
• Lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice only. Bottled lemon juice tastes flat and won’t brighten the dish.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic only. Jarred garlic won’t give the same clean flavor and can turn bitter when cooked. Mince it fine so it distributes evenly.
• Butter – I cook with salted butter. Unsalted butter works if you add a pinch of extra salt.

How To Make One Pot Spinach Orzo Recipe

Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the chopped garlic and sautee until fragrant.

Add the orzo and cook over medium heat until the orzo becomes lightly golden brown.

Add the broth and put the lid on, cooking as per suggested cooking time on the package, or until the orzo is el dente. Soft, but still some firmness. Most of the liquid will have evaporated.

Add the spinach and mix well to wilt the spinach.

Add the tomatoes and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Chef Jenn’s Tips

• This easy spinach orzo side dish can be made ahead of time and reheated. It’ll lose some of its creaminess, but it’ll still be delicious.
• A pinch of red pepper flakes will add a bit of spicy zip to this easy pasta side dish recipe.
• Fresh spinach works best, but thawed and squeezed frozen spinach will also work. Make sure it is well squeezed, and add about a cup.
• The color from the tomatoes really adds a great visual appeal to this dish, but if you don’t like tomatoes, chopped red bell peppers would look great, too! Just toss them in a few minutes before the orzo is finished cooking.
• Want some more flavor? Add about 1/2 cup of crumbled feta as a garnish to this dish.

Make it a Meal

This dish is hearty enough to be a meatless meal, but if you want to serve it as a side dish, round out your meal with smoked pork tenderloin, Mediterranean chicken bake, or bacon-wrapped cod.

Storage

Like most pastas, this dish will freeze tolerably well. It’ll lose some of its creaminess in the thawing process, and the tomatoes will lose some of their liquid. It is best eaten fresh, but if you do freeze it, chill it completely and put it in a zipper-top bag with as much of the air removed as possible.

Freeze it for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw it and then warm it gently in the microwave.