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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
Ok so- tastes amazing!
A few things to beware of- you can’t really sub flour for corn starch – it doesn’t brown as well.
Get a firm block of feta, otherwise it will melt on you! Halloumi would work famously here…but hard to find in parts of the US.
Budget way more than 20 mins! When you put the zucchini and/or squash in with the chick peas, it takes a while to brown because the pan will be so crowded with the chick peas. I ended up doing them in a separate pan and then combining. Prepping everything takes a while too.
When you put it all together at the end it’s amazing!!
Hi Julia! Thank you so much for all of these tips! I am really glad this turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! This was delicious. Third recipe I’ve made of yours after discovering your site last week. Only placed I messed up is I prepped the lemon and zest in one bowl because I didn’t realize they were being used separately. Also, my feta fell apart a little, but was still delicious. A question: these ingredients took me 45 minutes to prep before I began cooking. A big difference from the 10 minutes it takes you according to the recipe. Any tips? What am I doing wrong besides being just slow…
Hi Liz! How are you prepping the ingredients? Are you gettin them out as you go? Or what is your process? I recommend getting out all ingredients, then starting the recipe! This always helps me move quickly. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Oh my god. This is INCREDIBLE. Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. The yogurt sauce makes it. This will become a new staple in our house. DELISH.
Love that! Thank you Meagan! xTieghan
Almost 2 months since you’ve posted this, and we’ve had it for dinner about 10 times. So good, quick, and easy. The yogurt sauce is absolute perfection!
Thank you so much Brandy! xTieghan
This was incredibly delicious. I didn’t have orzo, so I substituted elbow pasta. The crispy feta was amazing. Such a great summer recipe with the fresh herbs and lemon. I’m in love!
Thank you so much Tiffany!! That is really great to hear! xTieghan
Thank you for this recipe — it was honestly one of the best I’ve made this year. We were lucky to have fresh garden herbs and veggies, and the flavors blended perfectly. My only change was to roast the chickpeas while everything else cooked to save time on a busy night. The feta is a 10/10!
Thank you so much Lauren!! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
We made this tonight but ran into some problems. The cheese didnt crisp up on medium heat so I had to turn the heat up. The zucchini also didnt cook in time overcooking the chickpeas which were in the pan first.
I am sorry to hear that, Erica! Is there anything that was done differently? xTieghan
What could you use instead of orzo here? Where I’m from all I can find is the Italian orzo grain :/
Hi Sophie,
You can use another short cut pasta or even Arborio rice would be great! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We have made this a few times and can’t get the Feta to crisp up or keep it’s shape. It turns into a mess pretty quickly (but still delicious!). Any suggestions?
Hi Caitlyn,
Thanks for trying the recipe and I am sorry you are having issues with the feta. I am wondering if you are using a cast iron skillet for this part? The skillet really creates the crisp on the feta and helps to keep its shape. I hope this helps! xTieghan
this dish was absolutely yum! Great for dinner and great cold as a leftover. The fried feta is a revelation!!!
Thank you so much Michelle! xTieghan
This was SO good! I was a bit skeptical of all the herbs working with the other flavors and textures but everything worked extremely well together. Only suggestions would be using frying your feta for longer than a minute each side. I think mine took maybe 3 minutes. And then it’s absolutely delicious!!
Amazing! Thank you for trying this Mel! xTieghan
Wow Wow Wow!!!! I made this for dinner last night and it was SO good. My husband loved it as well. There are so many flavors that work together perfectly. I will definitely be making this again!! 🙂
Thank you so much Candice!! xTieghan
I like most of your recipes but we had to dump this and do takeout. Followed the reciple to a tee. Timing off, chickpeas were mush by the time the squash cooked. Dry, dry, dry. If I ever do this again, and my husband says please, no, I would use one can of chickpeas and one zucchini. It just didn’t come together.
Hi Annie! I am really sorry to hear that! Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help! xTieghan
This was so heavenly! So much bursting flavor from the spices, and the fried feta was incredible! I could be a vegetarian if all meatless meals were this good!
Haha thank you so much Lauren! xTieghan
The feta should be done last and in a separate pan. When I make it again, I will start the chick peas first,, then the orzo,, them the feta. The feta was cold by the time you finish the dish. It would be much better hot. Lovely bite though!! Lemon flavor is beautiful.
Thank you so much Anne! xTieghan