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This plate of Crispy Lemon Feta with Spiced Chickpeas and Basil Orzo is a great easy meatless dinner for any night of the week. Crispy pan-fried feta cheese paired with spiced chickpeas and zucchini and severed over a creamy garlic lemon yogurt and buttery basil orzo. When you’re in need of an easy, colorful, and fresh dinner…make this vegetarian dish. Every bite is layered with delicious spring flavors. And the feta? It’s salty, crispy, and keeps everyone coming back for seconds.
Leave it to me to come up with a dinner recipe that highlights cheese as it’s “main”. Are you surprised? I would hope not. You all know how much I love cheese…this recipe is just more proof of that.
This is hands down my new favorite vegetarian dinner. It focuses heavily on the feta cheese plus a whole bundle of pantry staples too. Ok, jumping straight into the details today because I have many words to share about this crispy lemon feta with spiced chickpeas.
The Inspiration.
I wanted to create a vegetarian dinner that felt new and exciting. I racked my brain forever to come up with something fun. But in the end, I was just landing on dishes that I’d either already created and shared, or just sounded too boring to pursue.
The one thing I have not done is crispy tofu. Why you ask? Simply because I’m really not a fan of tofu. To be honest, it totally weirds me out. Something about the bright white color and the texture…it’s just not for me. But a crispy tofu with rice always looks so good. And then this got me thinking. What kind of looks like tofu and can be crisped in a skillet?
First, I thought of Halloumi cheese and yes, halloumi cheese is so delicious. But I didn’t have any in the fridge and I did not want anyone going to the store.
What did I have in the fridge? Feta cheese. So much feta cheese. And then the light bulb in my head went off. Why not just make crispy pan-fried feta cheese slices and serve them over orzo and call it dinner? It sounded delicious, so I went for it. I wrote a few notes down, decided to add chickpeas for heartiness and protein, and zucchini for some green color.
I wasn’t sure how it would all come together, but I knew it was going to be delicious…
And yes, this is delicious…crispy feta cheese plus buttery orzo. Nothing not to love.
Before you do anything, make the orzo.
This orzo is easy and has just three ingredients, butter, orzo, and basil. Just boil the orzo, toss with butter, then add plenty of freshly chopped basil. I love the buttery orzo paired with the light and summery basil. It’s simple, but mouth watering.
I have to say that this orzo was inspired by little miss Asher who could easily survive on pasta or rice. Two other foods she loves? Butter and basil. Put the three together and you have Asher’s dream bowl of food. Especially when a very generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt is added…basic, but in the best way.
Now, make the feta.
The crispy feta cheese is a lot easier to make than you might think. You need a block of feta cheese and some cornstarch. Just slice the feta and then toss in the cornstarch. The cornstarch is what gets the feta nice and crispy on the edges.
Next, pan-fry the cheese in olive oil. It crisps up quickly, so watch closely. Once the feta is crisped. Remove it from the skillet to a plate. You want to keep the feta cripsy, so this step is key.
Once the feta has been removed from the skillet, toss in the chickpeas and zucchini. Cook these together until crispy. Add some fresh thyme, lemon, a pinch of salt, and red pepper flakes…to your taste. And done, that’s the feta and the chickpeas.
At this point, the orzo should be done and it’s time to serve. Well, almost. First, stir together some Greek yogurt with a little garlic and lemon. I love a sauce with just about everything. This is the perfect creamy sauce to pair with rice and crispy cheese. You have three textures that are all made better when paired together.
Swirl the yogurt into a shallow bowl. Add the basil orzo, then the feta, chickpeas, and zucchini. Top the dish off with plenty of fresh herbs. I love using a mix of fresh dill, basil, and mint. Oh, and then, a pinch of flaky sea salt too.
And that’s it. Dinner in thirty minutes, made with pantry staples, feta cheese, and lots of fresh herbs. And even though this recipe is simple, it’s still so delicious. The feta is crisp on the outside, but soft and slightly melted inside. The chickpeas are crispy, spicy, and salty. The zucchini are sweet and flavored with fresh thyme. And the orzo is buttery, basily, and so very good.
Put it all together? Pretty close to perfect. My ideal meal any night of the week…easy, filling, a touch indulgent, but yet healthy too.
Looking for other vegetarian dinners? Here are some tried and true favorites.
Cauliflower Gnocchi with Crispy Zucchini and creamy Whipped Goat Cheese
Artichoke and Broccoli Pesto Brie Panini with Thyme Honey
Lemon Butter Cheese Ravioli with Garlic Basil Breadcrumbs
Lastly, if you make this crispy lemon feta with spiced chickpeas and basil 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!
Watch the How To Video:
Crispy Lemon Feta with Spiced Chickpeas and Basil Orzo
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 813 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
Basil Orzo
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving
Lemon Feta and Chickpeas
- 1 (8 ounce) block feta cheese, patted dry, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 (16 ounce) cans chickpeas drained and patted dry
- 3 cloves sliced garlic and 1 clove grated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt
- 2 zucchini or yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoons raw sesame seed
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mixed tender herbs, such as mint, dill, and or cilantro
Instructions
- 1. Cook the orzo according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and toss with butter, basil, and a pinch of salt. 2. Meanwhile, make the feta. Add the cornstarch to a shallow bowl. Add the feta slices and toss to coat all sides. Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Arrange the feta in a single layer and cook until golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove the feta from the skillet to a plate. 3. To the skillet, add the remaining 1/4 cup oil, the chickpeas, 3 cloves sliced garlic, the paprika, and a pinch of red pepper and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until the chickpeas are crisping, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, thyme, lemon zest, and sesame seeds. Cook another 5 minutes, until the zucchini is crisped on the edges. Remove from the heat.4. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, 1 clove grated garlic, and a pinch of salt. 5. To serve, spread the yogurt in the bottom of a shallow bowl. Add the orzo, crispy feta, and chickpeas overtop. Serve topped with fresh herbs. Enjoy!
Notes
The crispy feta was adapted from The New York Times.
This post was originally published on May 14, 2020
My feta completely fell apart in my pan, but the flavors are delicious! What am I doing wrong with the cheese??
I made this last night and it was AMAZING!!! At first my husband was like “feta?” And then he could’nt get enough of it! I added some Georgia vidali onion just because thy are in season. Definitely in our rotation from here on out! Thanks for a fab recipe!
Thank you Mary Kathryn! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
There was a comment about the chickpeas and zucchini not fitting in the pan easily and the process being frustrating. The video that shows this recipe has the chickpeas being done separately from the zucchini.
This was so delicious. The yogurt sauce on the plate complimented the other elements of the dish perfectly. My orzo was clumped together a bit before everything else was done, but a 1/2c of the cooking water from the orzo freed it up nicely. So grateful for your creativity, Tieghan!
Thank you so much Kim! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes and blog!! xTieghan
Made this and it is delicious. I did have halloumi so used it and had asparagus since it is now in season so used that instead of zucchini. It also was great the next day for lunch!!
Thank you so much Rebecca! I am so glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
The general flavor combinations here are good, but the order of operations and the images you’ve attached are very misleading. To cook 2 cans of chickpeas in my largest pot (the largest Le Cruset dutch oven) they were piled at least 2″ deep, which means I had to fold them/turn them to try to get them to crisp – which means they broke up substantially. 2 zucchini going in, then also needed to be folded in so it could reach heat at the bottom and hopefully receive some color – otherwise it would basically just steam at the top? So, more tossing, so more broken, mashed chickpeas. Even your zucchini (in the images attached to this recipe) look like they’ve been baked/roasted in the oven – so I wonder if you prepared that way for presentation, but have provided a recipe to your followers that allows for less dirty pans?
I’ll take the general concept of this dish, but will be roasting the chickpeas and zucchini/squash at a high heat. I anticipate this will take SO MUCH frustration out of this dish both appearance wise and in getting everything finished on time/together.
Hi! I am really sorry that this did not work so well for you. Please let me know if there is any questions I can help with. xTieghan
This was so delicious, I could not stop eating it. I made the feta cheese first and it was cold by the time the dish was ready. Next time I will make the feta cheese last.
I am really glad you loved this one, Sandra! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Absolutely amazing, just bursting with flavour! So perfectly balanced. Perhaps the best part was the morning after (I couldn’t stop thinking about that fried feta) where I reheated the leftovers in a cast iron and served with a fried egg, more mint, arugala, freshly fried feta and a drizzle of honey. Best brunch ever.
Love that!! Thank you so much for trying this Sarah! xTieghan
Another amazing recipe! We followed the recipe exactly (a rarity for us) and with every bite we exclaimed “This is so delicious!” Your daily recipes have become a highlight of my day. Thank you!
Aw that is so amazing!! Thank you so much for trying this Ann! xTieghan
This was so good. I feel like your website could be my new go to. I know my sister likes your recipes too.
I hope it is! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
So yummy, Tieghan! Even though my pan wasn’t quite big enough to crisp up the zucchini with the chickpeas (and even though I need to perfect the technique on pan frying feta (my coating came off)- I don’t think my oil was hot enough when I put it in), it all TASTED SO GOOD! My husband, a huge carnivore, absolutely loved it and agreed to clean whatever kitchen mess I make if I can make dishes like this (thanks, HBH fam!) I will likely reduce the recipe to one can chickpeas and one zucchini in the future just so I can try to crisp them up well. Also. The basil orzo was so easy and tasty- will use that in the future for an easy side dish. Used Tieghan’s recommendation on mixed herbs of dill, basil, and mint (SO GOOD!) Dont skimp on the herbs!!
Anyway, yes, there are many steps to this and I spent a good bit of time prepping, but it is WELL worth it if you are on the fence about trying this one. It’s simply delightful!
Haha that is the best not having to do dishes!! I hope you both continue to love my recipes, Courtney! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I made this on a whim for lunch and it was sooo good! Easy to make and so quick! Thank you!
Thank you so much Rebecca! xTieghan
Super great recipe! It was my first time making orzo. I will definitely be keeping this recipe in my back pocket.
Amazing! I am so glad you found this one and loved it! Thank you! xTieghan
Soooo good! The fried feta is super indulgent and delicious. Chickpeas took awhile to crisp up. Overall flavor combinations are spot on.
Thank you so much Kristen! xTieghan
Ahhhhh-mazing!!!! Loved every single bite.
That is so great to hear! Thank you Tia! xTieghan