This dreamy orzo dish kicked off my love of the little pasta over 5 years in the past. Prepare for a straightforward garlic parmesan orzo pasta with spinach, crispy bacon, and all of the veggies you can dream of.
This scrumptious, wholesome one pan dinner is one that you would be able to throw collectively any day of the week. Everybody loves it due to flavorful, crispy bacon. Personally, I’m an enormous fan as a result of it’s an incredible excuse to make use of up all of the veggies in your fridge (together with a whole package deal of spinach!)
I like to recommend serving this recipe with a aspect of my greatest ever garlic bread, as a result of why not?


The whole lot you’ll have to make this parmesan orzo pasta
This straightforward garlic parmesan orzo is stuffed with colourful veggies, tender orzo pasta, and savory bacon. What extra may you ask for?! Right here’s what you’ll have to make it:
- Orzo: the bottom is, after all, scrumptious orzo!
- Bacon: we’re including a beautiful, savory, salty aspect with bacon.
- Produce: you’ll additionally want garlic, onion, spinach, shredded carrots, crimson bell pepper, zucchini, and corn. Attractive!
- Seasonings: don’t neglect loads of salt and freshly floor pepper.
- Hen broth: you’ll simmer the orzo low-sodium rooster broth to get it tender and flavorful.
- Parmesan: gotta have that melty cheese in each chew! Plus, garlic and parmesan collectively is simply *chef’s kiss*.
- To garnish: I like to complete the dish with lemon zest, lemon juice, and a drizzle of sizzling honey. YUM.


Our fav ingredient swaps
Trying to customise a bit? Right here’s what we will advocate for substituting on this orzo recipe:
- Swap the bacon. Be at liberty to make use of sliced, sauteed rooster sausage as a substitute, and even some cooked, shredded rooster!
- Make it vegetarian. A can of rinsed, drained white beans and even roasted, crunchy chickpeas can be the proper swap for the bacon to maintain the recipe vegetarian.
- Up the veggies. Be at liberty to swap or add in any veggies you’d like as nicely. Broccoli can be scrumptious.
Suggestions for the most effective garlic parmesan orzo
- Use contemporary parmesan. The parmesan that comes out of the inexperienced canister typically has caking brokers in it, so it doesn’t soften nicely. We wish the actual deal, freshly grated parmesan cheese for taste and creaminess!
- Cook dinner the bacon correctly. Use good-quality bacon and cook dinner it over medium warmth, then swap it to medium-low to stop burning. You can too cook dinner it within the oven with this tutorial! Be at liberty to cook dinner it for kind of time relying on how crispy you prefer it, and blot the surplus grease from the bacon when it’s completed.


Learn how to retailer leftovers
Add any leftover orzo to an hermetic container and retailer it within the fridge for as much as 4-5 days. Merely reheat in a microwave secure dish.
Instruments you’ll want
Get all of my fav kitchen instruments right here!
Extra pasta recipes you’ll love
Get all of our wonderful noodles & pasta recipes right here!
I hope you like this straightforward, scrumptious garlic parmesan orzo recipe! Should you make it, make sure you depart a remark and a score so I understand how you preferred it. Get pleasure from, xo!

The
Formidable Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Typically Indulgent, and Completely By no means Boring Recipes for Each Meal of the Day
Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon
by


Straightforward, flavorful spinach garlic parmesan orzo pasta with crispy bacon and beautiful veggies like crimson bell pepper, zucchini, and spinach. This creamy garlic parmesan orzo recipe comes collectively in a single pan, is the proper meal prep dinner, and is scrumptious sizzling or chilly!
Elements
- 10 slices raw thick-cut bacon, minimize into 1-inch items
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 crimson bell pepper, minimize into chunks
- ½ cup shredded or diced carrots (from 1 medium carrot)
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered
- ¾ cup frozen or contemporary candy corn
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra to style
- Freshly floor black pepper
- 12 ounces raw orzo pasta (about 2 cups dry orzo)
- 4 cups low-sodium rooster broth
- 3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 small lemon
- 2 to three tablespoons sizzling honey
Directions
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Preheat oven to 375 levels F.
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Cook dinner the bacon: Place a big oven-safe skillet or 3.5 qt braiser over medium warmth. Add the bacon, stirring often and cook dinner till crispy and golden brown, 5 to eight minutes. As soon as bacon is finished, switch it to a plate lined with a paper towel and put aside.Whereas the bacon cooks, you’ll be able to chop your veggies.
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Fastidiously drain the bacon grease (I switch it to a medium bowl then put aside).
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Cook dinner the veggies: In the identical pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease over medium warmth. Add the add within the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and zucchini and cook dinner, stirring often, till the veggies are barely tender, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and some grinds of pepper, and cook dinner, stirring regularly, till garlic is aromatic, 30 seconds.
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Add orzo and broth: Stir within the orzo and toast within the pan for 1 minute, stirring regularly, to develop taste. Stir within the rooster broth and convey the combination to a delicate simmer over medium-high warmth.
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Bake: Cowl and bake undisturbed till the orzo is tender and many of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to twenty minutes. Take away the pan from the oven and stir within the parmesan and spinach till the spinach wilts and cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Prime with lemon zest and lemon juice. Style and regulate salt and pepper as essential.
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Prime with bacon items and a drizzle of sizzling honey. Add salt and pepper to style. I like so as to add A LOT of black pepper into this dish — it simply provides it a very nice taste! Should you suppose it wants a little bit additional parmesan cheese, be happy to stir in ¼ cup extra. Get pleasure from!
Recipe Notes
To make vegetarian: I believe a can of rinsed and drained white beans and even roasted, crunchy chickpeas can be a very nice possibility.
Vitamin
Serving: 1serving (based mostly on 6)Energy: 473calCarbohydrates: 50.4gProtein: 21gFats: 22.7gSaturated Fats: 8.8gFiber: 8.6gSugar: 12.4g
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Formidable Kitchen | Images by:Â Eat Love Eats
This put up was initially revealed on March 26, 2019, republished on September 1st, 2021, republished on April twelfth, 2023, and republished on Could twenty sixth, 2026, with up to date components and directions to bake within the oven.
