This Lemon Orzo with Feta is a quick, flavour-packed lunch or light supper. Bright lemony orzo combines with tender, buttery courgettes, sweet petit pois and soft shallots, finished with a salty, herb-studded feta crumble. It’s incredibly tasty and ready in under 30 minutes.
This version is served with a roasted salmon fillet, but it’s equally good without fish for a vegetarian meal. It works as a main or a side alongside salads or roast chicken. It also keeps well, so you can make it ahead and enjoy it cold for lunch the next day—perfect for busy schedules when you want a flavourful meal with minimal fuss.
Table of Contents
- Why you will love this recipe:
- Ingredients:
- Substitutions and Variations:
- Cooking Tips:
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Lemon Orzo with Feta Recipe
Why you will love this recipe:
- Quick and easy to prepare, with big flavour.
- On the table in under 30 minutes.
- Zesty lemon, salty feta and fresh herbs make a vibrant combination.
- Highly versatile — swap herbs and vegetables to suit what you have.
- Perfect for a simple lunch or supper, and great as a make-ahead pasta salad.
- Vegetarian if you omit the salmon, and easily adapted for vegans.
Ingredients:
Full recipe is in the recipe card below.
Salmon fillets – optional. Choose sustainably sourced fillets if possible. Thick fillets work well.
Orzo – rice-shaped pasta that works hot or cold and is ideal for salad-style dishes.
Vegetable stock – adds flavour while the orzo cooks. Use a cube or homemade stock. Use chicken stock if not keeping the dish vegetarian.
Shallots – they mellow and turn slightly sweet when cooked. Regular white or red onion can substitute.
Garlic – fresh is best, but garlic granules can be used in a pinch.
Courgette – green or yellow zucchini both work; the yellow variety is slightly sweeter.
Petit pois – smaller, sweeter peas; regular peas also work.
Fresh herbs – dill and mint provide a bright, slightly aniseed note.
Lemon – zest and juice add refreshing citrus lift.
Feta – crumbled for saltiness; swap for goat’s cheese if preferred.
Substitutions and Variations:
Orzo: substitute giant couscous, regular couscous, quinoa or bulgur — adjust cooking times accordingly. Small pastas like stellini or macaroni also work.
Vegetables: add spinach to wilt into the dish or stir through halved cherry tomatoes if serving cold.
Protein: replace salmon with chicken breast or thighs, leftover roast chicken, or other seafood like cod, haddock or prawns.
Nuts: add toasted pistachios, hazelnuts or almonds for crunch.
Herbs: try coriander, parsley or chives for different flavour profiles.
Cooking Tips:
Salmon: watch it closely and remove when it just begins to flake to avoid dryness. For crispy skin, pan-fry starting in a cold pan and finish skin-side up.
Orzotto-style: simmer the orzo in stock like a risotto—add stock gradually and stir for a creamier texture if you prefer a richer dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta, not a grain. It’s versatile for soups, salads and can be toasted for a nutty flavour or stirred while cooking to make an orzotto.
Petit pois are picked earlier than regular peas, so they’re smaller, sweeter and have a softer texture, though regular peas can be used instead.
Yes. Omit the feta or use a plant-based alternative and replace runny honey with maple syrup.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
Yes—make it ahead if serving cold. For hot service, avoid preparing too far in advance to prevent the orzo becoming mushy. Stored in an airtight container, it keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days. Bring to room temperature 20–30 minutes before serving and add a splash of olive oil or lemon juice if it needs loosening.
Yes. Serve at room temperature, and if needed, loosen with olive oil and lemon.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days.
Microwave for 1–2 minutes until hot, or warm gently in a saucepan with a knob of butter or a splash of stock, stirring well. It’s also tasty served cold.
You can freeze leftovers for up to three months, but the texture may soften after defrosting. Defrost in the fridge before reheating.
Lemon Orzo with Feta Recipe
Lemon Orzo with Feta
Ingredients
For the salmon (optional)
- 2 large salmon fillets
- Drizzle olive oil
For the lemon orzo with feta
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 180 g orzo
- 120 g petit pois
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 banana shallots, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 courgette, coarsely grated
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 20 g fresh dill
- 10 g mint, leaves picked
- 1 large lemon, zest and juice
- 80 g feta (adjust to taste)
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp runny honey
Instructions
- If using salmon: preheat the oven to 190°C fan and line a baking sheet with paper. Place salmon skin-side down, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 8–10 minutes or until it flakes when nudged with a knife.
- For the orzo: bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and cook according to packet instructions, adding the petit pois for the last 3 minutes. Watch to prevent sticking.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium non-stick frying pan. Add the shallots and cook for about 7 minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic and grated courgette and cook a further 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the orzo is cooked, drain, reserving the stock.
- Add the orzo to the pan with the vegetables along with 2 tbsp of the reserved stock. Stir well and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat.
- Prepare the herby-feta mix: roughly chop the dill and mint and place in a bowl. Add lemon zest and juice, crumble over the feta, then stir in the Dijon mustard, honey and remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Season to taste (remember feta is salty).
- Stir half the herby-feta into the orzo. Divide between bowls, top with salmon if using, then spoon over the remaining herby-feta. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
To store: Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days.
To reheat: Microwave for 1–2 minutes until hot, or warm gently on the stove with a little butter or stock. It’s also excellent cold.
To freeze: Freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge; the texture may soften slightly.
Make ahead: Make ahead if serving cold. Cool, refrigerate, and bring to room temperature before serving, loosening with olive oil or lemon if needed.
Vegetarian/vegan: Omit the salmon to keep it vegetarian. For vegan, replace feta with a plant-based alternative and use maple syrup instead of honey.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving — Calories: 757 kcal; Carbohydrates: 97 g; Protein: 24 g; Fat: 32 g; Saturated Fat: 9 g; Fiber: 11 g; Sugar: 15 g.
Nutrition information is an approximation.
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