Orzo with lemon & parsley from Simple: Effortless Food, Big Flavours (page 100) by Diana Henry

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Accompaniments: Chicken piccata

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • luke_i8msqc on June 04, 2026

    Very easy, delicious meal for two. As mentioned (in nearly all the other comments!) more stock and cooking time is needed - an error in the recipe I think.

  • bernalgirl on February 13, 2025

    I made this to go with grilled salmon and a set of summer salads and it was a huge hit — especially with my Parm- and orzo-loving son. Having read previous reports, I parcooked the orzo in a small amount of Better than bouillon-seasoned water, then added it to the onion mixture, adding cooking water as needed till it was done. I also stirred in chopped chives instead of parsley.

  • nutrica6 on August 30, 2023

    Agree with adding more stock and cooking an extra two minutes. Don’t be afraid to juice the lemon and add more zest. I added spinach, basil, and oregano. Would be good with shrimp in it too.

  • anya_sf on February 16, 2021

    Very nice side dish. Like others, I needed to add about 1/2 cup extra liquid and cook the orzo about 2 minutes longer. To boost the lemon flavor, I used the zest of a whole lemon plus some juice.

  • PiaOC on August 06, 2020

    Loved this dish which we had with the chicken piccata. I too, added more stock and cooking time to the orzo and found it needed about half of the parmesan. Delicious and as noted in the intro, would made a simple meal for lazy nights.

  • embk27 on September 07, 2018

    Great side dish - needed more stock and cooking time though.

  • Lepa on February 03, 2018

    This was quick and easy. I was worried that it would be too lemony but it wasn't. I had to add another 1/4 cup of water because it was dry and not fully cooked after seven minutes.

  • veronicafrance on September 11, 2017

    This is a nice alternative to plain pasta or rice. I measured the orzo and stock as per the recipe, and the orzo wasn't cooked by the time the stock was absorbed -- I had to add more. I don't particularly like parsley, so I used basil instead. Also the lemon was almost undetectable. I'd add more next time, maybe even a squeeze of juice.

  • raybun on May 08, 2017

    Very tasty! An excellent accompaniment to the roast salmon with basil & pea purée from the same book.

  • Lesliehauser on April 30, 2017

    Really tasty and fresh. Served with Tim's Parmesan chicken from Simple and toasted broccoli.

  • sosayi on April 14, 2017

    I really loved this dish. It was incredibly comforting. That being said, I think it could really benefit from homemade chicken stock. I had just run out of my stash (horrors!), and had to use a store-bought version. I think that with such a simple dish, the ingredients you use matter a bit more and I can't wait to try this again with a richer, more tasty stock as I think it'd really make the dish even better! I also subbed in a whole container of peppery arugula for the parsley (I had parsley in another component of the meal and wanted more "greens", too) which was delicious and worked well!

  • southerncooker on April 09, 2017

    Daughter and I loved this. I used homemade chicken stock and dried parsley since I rarely find Italian parsley in our local markets. The lemon zest gave it a nice brightness and the Parmesan lent a nice creaminess.

  • FJT on March 07, 2017

    This is a delicious, simple supper. I had to wing it slightly on the amount of orzo / stock as I was using gluten-free orzo made from corn and the packet instructions only gave instructions for cooking in 'plenty' of water. For a whole packet (8.8 oz/ 250g) of GF orzo I used about 2.5 cups (625ml) of stock and cooked it for 15 minutes. I also used more Parmesan and lemon zest than stated in the recipe. I will be making this again.

  • Zosia on February 25, 2017

    This is a great little dish that comes together very quickly even though it had to cook for a few minutes longer (with a little extra stock added). Cooked in sodium-reduced chicken broth, the pasta was nicely seasoned before the Parmesan went in so I added only one-third the amount to avoid an overly salty dish. It was still plenty cheesey and delicious so I'll make it this way again.

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