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Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs and Creamy Orzo. Quick, easy, colorful, and delicious! Baked chicken meatballs with roasted lemon, cooked together with orzo pasta and baby spinach, then finished with melty cheese. This tasty dish is all made in one pan without even having to boil any water. Simply mix, bake, eat, and enjoy!
And we’re back with yet another one-pan dinner. I’m loving these easy all-in-one recipes this month. Fortunately, they’ve been turning out so delicious!
It’s been busy over here, and long days mean my time in the kitchen is limited. I was just saying on a call today that I always keep things like this in mind when creating recipes. Of course, that should go without saying that they also need to have great taste. My intention is for my recipes to be approachable, easy, and so delicious…while also looking pretty!
It’s the combo that makes a recipe worthy of saving!
And these cheesy, garlic meatballs fit the description to a T.
My mom mentioned that meatballs sounded really delicious with all the snowy weather and cold temperatures we’ve been having. I thought about sharing another crockpot meatball, but then I had the thought to test out baked meatballs with orzo.
I’ve been enjoying my all-in-one baked dishes so much, so I was curious to test this one out. It’s ended up working out wonderfully and turned into a recipe that everyone has really been enjoying!
Ingredients
- ground chicken, ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey
- dijon mustard
- shallot, chopped
- garlic powder or a few chopped cloves garlic
- Italian seasoning
- dried rosemary
- smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- grated parmesan cheese or ricotta cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- chopped lemon peel
- chopped fresh dill
- chili flakes
- dry orzo pasta
- dry white wine
- heavy cream or canned full fat coconut milk
- baby spinach, chopped
- shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
Kitchenware needed
- large cast iron skillet or large dutch oven
- medium mixing bowl, large mixing bowl
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- serving dishes / serving platter
These are the details
Step 1: pre-heat the conventional oven and make the meatballs
I love to use ground chicken or pork for this recipe. Sometimes I’ll mix the chicken and pork if I have both on hand.
Then, add the seasonings to the meat mixture: dijon, shallots, garlic, rosemary and smoked paprika. Then mix in parmesan cheese as well.
Mix everything together and roll it into 2-inch balls. Then, place the meatballs in a baking dish with a little olive oil, chopped lemon peel, dill, and chili flakes. Make sure you have paper towels on hand for clean-up!
Step 2: bake the meatballs
Now, bake the meatballs until they start getting crisp on top.
I like to give them a head start on cooking before adding the orzo. I think this helps them form a nice shape and develop even more flavor!
Step 3: add the orzo
Next, mix the orzo with the oil and meatballs in the baking dish. Add water and wine, and then spinach on top.
No need to boil the orzo. As everything bakes together, the orzo will soak up the water and become perfectly cooked. It’s such a simple way to cook orzo pasta!
Step 4: add the cheese
Pull the dish out, add a touch of cream, then top with either mozzarella or provolone cheese, then bake again until the cheese is all melty and bubbling up.
It’s going to smell so delicious with the lemon and rosemary, and then all that cheese on top! YUM.
Step 5: serve!
Serve the lemon meatballs over the creamy, cheesy orzo. Then I like to add fresh herbs and chili flakes on top.
Simple and quick, with very little clean-up, and minimal hands-on time too.
You can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it would be equally great for a small dinner party with friends. Everyone loves this meatball and pasta dinner. Bon apetit!
Looking for other easy weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites.
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo
Lastly, if you make this Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs and Creamy Orzo, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
What are the benefits of a Dutch oven?
A Dutch oven can maintain temperatures on the stovetop and in the oven and its tight-fitting lid ensures the recipes you are preparing is cooked thoroughly. Here is a great article that shares the benefits of cooking with a Dutch oven: https://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/packages/food-network-essentials/what-is-a-dutch-oven
Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs and Creamy Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 679 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken, pork, or turkey
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and black pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped lemon peel
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- chili flakes
- 1 pound dry orzo pasta
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned full fat coconut milk
- 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.2. Add the chicken, dijon, shallot, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, rosemary, paprika, salt, pepper, and parmesan to a bowl. Mix to combine. Roll the meat into tablespoon-size balls (will make 15-16 meatballs). 2. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, combine the meatballs, olive oil, lemon peel, dill, and chili flakes. Bake 8-10 minutes, until just starting to get crisp. Reduce the oven to 400° F. 3. To the meatballs, add the dry orzo. Pour over 2 cups of water and the wine, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Place the spinach on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes until most of the water has cooked into the pasta, but not all of it.4. Stir the pasta around, mix in the cream, then sprinkle the cheese overtop. Bake another 10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbling. If there's a lot of oil on top, drain off the excess. Top with fresh dill, basil, or micro greens.
This post was originally published on February 29, 2024
I love your recipes but I would never make this again.
Hi Kelly,
So sorry to hear this. Is there something that went wrong here that I can help with? Please let me know! Thanks for trying this dish! xx
Thanks for explaining what happened with the measurement mistakes in old print version! I ultimately was able to make it, and we thought it was OK, but not our favorite. I’m not really sure why — I added an extra cup of chicken broth to the orzo and cooked it longer than directed, and it was fine, as were the meatballs, for which I cut down on the recommended amount of spices after reading previous comments for both. In any case, I probably won’t make it again, but we usually love your orzo recipes, so please keep them coming!
Hi Helen,
Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear you didn’t love it, thanks for your kind message:)
I printed this recipe from this website on March 31, 2025, just a few days ago. Good thing I decided to look at it again just now (the amount of ground meat didn’t sound right, i.e., it called for 1/2 pound for 15-16 meatballs), because the measurement of every single ingredient had been changed, with the exception of salt and pepper and chili flakes. I had planned to make it this evening but now will only be able to if I can defrost an extra pound of ground beef in time. Perhaps it would be a good idea to put a notification on the recipe saying it had been changed? I can send you a copy of what I printed out 10 days ago if it would help.
Hi Helen,
So sorry about this. Nothing about the recipe was changed, we had a glitch on the printing side of the site and it was reducing all of the serving sizes for the recipes. Everything is fixed now and you should be able to follow this as written. Please let me know if I can help in any other way!
This was really great except I didn’t see anywhere in the directions on where to add the heavy cream. I really think that would have made the recipe so much better but we just omitted it.
Hi Kaitlyn,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! Glad to hear it was enjoyed. The cream is added in step 4:)
This recipe looks amazing! Should the shallots be cooked a little before adding them?
Thanks so much, Karen!! Sure, you could do that if you wanted to:) Please let me know if you give this a try! xx
Your technique for cooking the orzo in the oven, amazing! As I have cooked in my family’s restaurant for 30 years and baked risotto in the oven. I did add a little chicken stock to the water and wine as I’m not much of fan of ground chicken but your addition of Dijon is spot on! Perfect weeknight recipe❤️
Hey Jeanine,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it and your comment! x
The orzo was amazing. The meatballs were not. They were very dry and had way too many flavors going on. I won’t try to modify this but if I did I would definitely leave out the Italian seasoning and go for a pure lemon, rosemary and garlic flavor profile. I wouldn’t cook it all in one baking dish either.
Hi Christy,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. So very sorry to hear it wasn’t a fave! xx
Could this be made gluten free if rice replaced orzo?
Hi Arlene,
Sure, the rice might need longer to cook though:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
How many cups is a “pound of dry orzo”?
Hi Kathy,
It’s about 2 cups. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
The video shows a dutch oven on the stove. The recipe says bake in oven. Which is it?
Also I would saute the shallots first. The orzo took longer to cook which dried out the meatballs.
Hi Peyton,
So sorry, I am not sure which video you are referring to, but I cooked this recipe in the oven:) Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Did you change the recipe to oven from stovetop? I thought I did it on the stovetop the last time I made it?
Hey Jacquie,
Nope, I did not change this recipe:) Sorry! Let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
Delicious! The orzo cooks up so soft and yummy with all the flavorings and the coconut milk. I will definitely make this again.
Hi Kate,
Fantastic! I appreciate you trying this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out nicely for you! xx
Very good! I had 2lbs ground turkey so used that. I added more to meatball ingredients bc of that. Used my lasagna pan bc more meatballs. I needed 10 more minutes in oven at end bc orzo was a bit crunchy. Would make again for sure.
Love to hear this, Deanna! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your feedback! Have a wonderful week! xxT
My daughter made this for a dinner during the week and it was delicious. I’d give it a five star rating and I’m not a foodie. I make it at tonight for Sunday family dinner and will let you know how it is received.
Annie M
Hey Annie,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it and your comment!!
I would like to make these as party meat balls with the seasonings and sauce.
Since I wont be making the orzo, can you recommend the proportions of liquid reduction? Thank you so much!
Hi Kathy,
I’ve never personally tested this, but I wouldn’t add any liquid to the meatballs. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
What a wonderful recipe! Relatively simple and so delicious. A very comforting dish that I will make again and again!
Hi Linda,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for making it and your comment!!