This One Pot Healthy Orzo dish is the perfect mess-free dinner that everyone will love. This healthy orzo has the perfect balance of carbs from the pasta, protein from the chickpeas, and micronutrients and fiber from the veggies. Make this for dinner when you need something quick and easy, or have guests coming over and need to feed a large crowd. Also, this is made in one pot, so the clean-up is so easy! Other no-mess dinners I think you’ll love are my One Pan Tuscan Pasta, these Easy Peanut Udon Noodles, and my One Pan Spicy Dumplings.
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Notes on Ingredients
- Orzo: You can use a gluten-free orzo or even a grain-free orzo to make this recipe gluten-free and paleo friendly!
- Chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas before using to help prevent gas and bloat.
- Zucchini: Veggies add bulk to this recipe. Moreover, feel free to substitute the zucchini or any of the veggies for what you enjoy and have on hand.
Please take note that this is important information about the ingredients used in this recipe and the FULL recipe with measurements and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
How do you make One Pot Healthy Orzo?
- Sauté the onion, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini and chickpeas.
- Add in the orzo and the water.
- Stir until all of the liquid is absorbed and add in the spinach and peas.
- Add in salt, pepper, and garlic powder and stir.
- Top with vegan parmesan and enjoy!
- Step 1: First, saute the veggies. Add in the orzo and water and cook until liquid absorbs.
- Step 2: Then, stir in the spinach, peas, and spices. Garnish with vegan parmesan and enjoy!
Commonly Asked Questions
The orzo should be tender and soft. Try a bite at the 30-minute mark to see if it needs to cook longer.
Store the leftover orzo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a pan on the stove or in the microwave for a couple minutes.
Yes! Using gluten-free orzo or even rice would work.
Yes! Feel free to sub any of the vegetables. Veggies that are really good in this dish are chopped mushrooms, shredded kale, squash, and bell pepper.
I’d pair it with a simple starter salad, like my Classic Vegan Caesar Salad or my Longevity Salad. Then, for dessert (of course), make my addicting Vegan Gluten-Free Twix Bars.
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Extra Helpful Tips
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Make sure to stir the orzo often while it’s cooking so it does not stick to the bottom of the pot!
- Add more liquid to the orzo if you use up the 4 cups and it’s still not tender.
- To keep the pasta from sticking together once cooked, add a little olive oil.
- I am obsessed with my Caraway Dutch Oven. It is non-toxic, non-stick, and makes cleaning up so easy.
How to Store
Store the leftover orzo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a pan on the stove or in the microwave for a couple minutes.
If you tried this One Pot Healthy Orzo or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 5-star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
One Pot Healthy Orzo (20 minute dinner!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced yellow
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup zucchini diced
- 16 oz orzo
- 4 cups water
- 1 15oz can chickpeas
- 1 cup peas frozen
- 2 cups spinach chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- vegan parmesan
- lemon juice squeeze fresh
- parsley fresh flat leaf
Instructions
- Prep your vegetables! Dice the onion, mince garlic, half the cherry tomatoes, dice the zucchini and strain and rinse your chickpeas.
- In a large pot on medium heat, sauté onion, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini and chickpeas for a few minutes.
- Pour in the orzo and water to your pot. Add in the salt. You can start with 4 cups of water and then add 2 cups more if the orzo still isn't tender. Bring to a boil.
- Turn stove down to medium and stir every 30 seconds until all of the liquid is absorbed. When it's almost done, add peas and spinach. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Taste the orzo when the liquid is absorbed and make sure it is tender to your liking.
- Season with nutritional yeast, pepper and more salt to taste if needed.
- Sprinkle on vegan parmesan, garnish with some fresh parsley, squeeze in fresh lemon juice and enjoy!
Talia says
Loved it! With the first step sautéing how much oil should be used ??
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
about 1 tbsp
Bella Lopez says
Looks amazing!!! I can’t wait to try this recipe out.
Alyssa says
I highly recommend this recipe. I modified it slightly just using veggies I had on hand. I just recently started learning how to cook, and it came out perfect which means it’s super easy to make. It’s a very comforting dish.
Brayden Battershell says
I made this recipe last night! Very easy, takes very little time, and it’s a perfect winter comfort meal.
Em says
One of my favorite dishes to make! Discovered this recipe ~6 months ago and made it once a week for several months!! I make it for just myself and it lasts 3-4 days. I use an insane amount of nutritional yeast, superrr good. Only thing is it easily takes 25-30 mins. 20 at best. I’ve made it countless times, have the recipe memorized, and it’s never taken 10 minutes. So that parts a bit misleading but it’s still super easy and yummy :))
Carolina Villarreal says
I don’t see chickpeas in the ingredient list, but see it in the instructions.
Danielle Brown says
Thanks for pointing this out! The recipe has been updated
Ellen Weidner says
Can you freeze this?
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
I haven’t tried, but I don’t see why not.
Kim says
Thank you for this recipe. I am new to making no meat meals and this recipe is easy and delicious. My whole family like it and always get seconds. I have taken this and made substitutions and it still comes out delicious. I usually use vegetable broth instead of water. I have used canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh and have used both yellow squash and zucchini. Definitely a versatile, quick, and yummy recipe.
Michelle says
This recipe mentions garlic powder in the ingredients but it doesn’t actually use it in the instructions.
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
Feel free to add it in on step 6.
Miranda says
Ok this was amazing, but it does not take 15 min for me, more like 30min (for an average cook). Still worth it! I’m not vegan so I added regular Parmesan instead, and used bone broth to substitute some of the water and add more protein. Didn’t see directions on when to add garlic powder so I added with the Parmesan and pepper. This makes a huge batch! Would definitely make again.
April says
I loved it! You definitely need the extra 2 cups of water though!
Lies says
This was delicious!
Sarah Rumney says
Super easy, delicious recipe! I used Arborio rice instead of orzo, since that’s what I had on hand.
Marianne Ferraro says
Nutritional value for Orzo Chickpea pasta
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
Hi! For nutrition information feel free to use an app like My Fitness Pal.
Holly Merz says
Made this dish tonight! Super easy! We added in some bok choy. Baby bok choy would have been more tended but it added some crunch. I think I might have liked the sauce just a touch sweet but all in all it was super tasty!!
Holly Merz says
Made this tonight! Very tasty! Similar to others we needed 6 cups of liquid. We used vegetable stock. We added some mushrooms and Kalamata olives. The lemon juice is what really gives it flavor. Next time I would like to try green olives and vegan feta cheese. Definitely doable in one pan but took about 30 minutes all together. Will make again for sure!
Jessica says
Loved the flavor and the ingredients. My orzo got gooey and overcooked and I also felt like there was too much of it. I’d make this again and 1) half the amount of orzo and 2) cook it separately.
Daniel Helgeson says
What is the nutritional information for this?
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
Feel free to use an app like MyFitnessPal!
Teyzoo says
What is your favorite vegan Parmesan?
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
Violife!
Darrah says
This was sooooo good! I added in a red bell pepper since I needed to use it up, used veggie stock in place of the water and then topped it with some vegan cashew Parmesan I had in the fridge. This is definitely getting added to the rotation! Can’t wait for your cookbook to be delivered so we can try more recipes🫶🏼
Ursula says
Tastes amazing! Thank you
Rhea sarsfield says
except i never added the garlic powder…when should i have done that…lol
Taylor From HealthyGirl Kitchen says
Hi! After adding the spinach and peas.
Amanda says
Added Better Than Bouillon vegetarian “chicken” and this was delicious! Lots of veg packed in and makes a large amount.
Jordan Stacy says
This one-pot orzo dish is so creamy & delicious! I love making it on a night where I don’t feel like cooking and want something comforting. I love to just substitute whatever veg I have on hand.