Next Post
Easy Brown Butter Iced Espresso Cardamom Buns.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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
Delish! I browned the meatballs in an oven safe dish first, deglazed with a generous pour of the wine, and used whole wheat orzo.
Hey there,
Thanks for the thoughtful feedback after trying this recipe, I’m happy to hear it was a win!
Happy Holidays!🎄🎁
Wonderful flavours! I used lemon juice instead of peel. I substituted Greek yogurt and cream cheese for cream. I also broiled the meatballs after they did not brown in the 15 minutes
Hey there,
Fantastic! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment! So glad it was enjoyed:)
Happy Holidays!
I love your recipes – however this one fell short. I used GF orzo but 16 oz feels like it was way too much. the orzo was gluey.
Any suggestions for a future attempt?
Thanks
Christine
Hi Christine,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you had issues! Unfortunately, I have never tested this with GF orzo so next time I would try using something like risotto to see if that helps. Let me know how it turns out! xx
Hi, my husband and I loved this dish last night. However, here in the Boston area, ground chicken is sold in 1 lb containers, not 1.5 lb , which is what your recipe calls for. I had to do hard math (lol) to reduce everything. Could you provide a 1 lb version?? Also, in a 9×13 pan, a full 1 lb of orzo would’ve been tooooo much for the amount of liquid. I did 1 cup of orzo. Also topped with fresh basil and parsley from the garden. Yummm!
Hi Lynne,
So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed!! If you reduce the serving size down to 4 on the recipe card, all of the ingredients will reduce for you to accommodate 1 pound of ground meat. I hope this helps!
I want to make this and freeze for postpartum! Should I make it as is and then freeze or make everything and leave raw?
Thanks!
Hi Lindsay! I’d recommend making and freezing just the meatballs (either raw or cooked) since they hold up really well, then cooking the orzo fresh when you’re ready to eat! Creamy pasta dishes don’t tend to freeze and reheat nicely. This way you’ll still have most of the work done ahead of time, and the orzo will taste fresh and creamy when you make it all together! 🙂 xT
How do you click to reduce your recipes? I just saw this comment and went up there and tried to click on the 6 serving size and it didn’t open or allow any changes.
Thank would be helpful as we waste things when we make your recipes due to our hosehold size and I love your cooking, but cannot make many of them sadly.
Hi Melissa,
You just slide the bar that will appear when you click the serving size:)
Delicious dish! My husband is hard to please and really liked it! The recipe is easy to follow. Thank you!
Thanks so much, Susan:)
My oven decided not to work as I made this dish. I pivoted and made it on the stove instead and it was tasty!
Hey Fiona,
So glad this dish turned out on the stovetop for you, thanks for making it! I hope your oven recovers soon:) xx
This is excellent and very different from my usual weekday meals.
Hi Sheryl,
Fantastic!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed! x
Wow!! This is SO GOOD! I doubled the meatball mixture and got 48 golf ball sized meatballs. The store was out of shallots, so I sautéed half a yellow onion in 2 Tbsp of butter then mixed them in the mixture once soft and brown. One pan I prepared as directed minus the spinach. One pan I added three bags of previously frozen cauliflower florets. When I was done, I puréed the cauliflower to make it like mashed potatoes. The cauliflower had clearly soaked up some of the chicken juices, lemon, and heavy cream. They taste amazing. I will definitely make this again!! It’s a hit with my three boys, too. Ages 8, 12, and 15.
Thanks so much, Andrea!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great weekend! xT
Super easy. Really yummy. I’ll be eating on this all week!!!
Hi April,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and taking the time to comment, so glad it was enjoyed!!