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Souper Creamy Lemon Butter Cheesy Zucchini Orzo!! Kind of like risotto, kind of like soup, kind of DELICIOUS…the ultimate bowl of summer comfort. This simple zucchini orzo is made in under 30 minutes, uses just one skillet, and is a great way to use up that summertime zucchini. It’s creamy, garlicky, packed with zucchini, and finished with fresh herbs and parmesan cheese. Perfect cozy, summer dinner or easy side, any night of the week. Everyone in the house will enjoy this dish, veggies and all!
If I could describe this dish in just a few words, I’d tell you that it’s a cross between risotto and soup. It’s not quite as thick or heavy as risotto, but not nearly as soupy as soup. It’s somewhere in between the two, and most importantly?
It. Is. SO GOOD.
It’s comfort in a bowl and clearly I love this recipe. Before I dive into all the details, some background info for you all. Growing up, my mom would make what she called “souper rice”. Basically, it was cream of chicken soup plus a whole lot of rice. So much rice that you really couldn’t call it soup anymore…enter “souper rice”. I can’t fully remember how she made it, but I know it involved minute rice and cream of chicken broth. That might have been it actually. Either way, it was incredibly basic…and yet she loved it. She would eat it with homemade air-popped popcorn on top. Yes, that’s my mom, carb-loving, and all about comfort. And I love her for it.
To this day, “souper rice” is still a food she would happily enjoy if someone were to make just make it a bit healthier.
I actually made my take on “souper rice” a few years back and it’s kind of what inspired today’s recipe. Honestly, I was sitting outside pondering in my head about what I wanted to make. Zucchini was on my mind and so was orzo. I put the two together and this is what I came up with. Then I remembered mom’s “souper rice” and that’s when I decided I was making “souper zucchini orzo”. I knew even before I made it that I was going to love it.
This is SIMPLE. So SUPER SIMPLE, but my gosh, it’s good. It’s what everyone needs a little dish of in their life today.
Also? I sent these photos to my mom, who at the time was driving back to Colorado from California. And immediately her response was…
Yum! ? LOVE❣️
Yep, I copy-pasted that. And when I told her that I gave some of the dish away, she almost panicked that she wouldn’t have any to eat upon getting in at 12 am. I assured her that I saved her plenty. I knew this was her kind of recipe. She literally gave a sigh of relief. Dramatic, but it’s all true.
OK, moving along here.
The details.
As I said, this dish is quick and easy. Start by cooking the butter and garlic together until your kitchen smells amazing, so a minute or so. Add the orzo and plenty of fresh thyme. The garlic and thyme are the big flavors here, so don’t be shy.
Allow the orzo to get a little toasty, then toss in lots of shredded zucchini and a bit of kale too. If you hate kale, not a problem, simply use spinach. If you hate greens, not a problem, leave them out. Next, slowly pour in the chicken broth. For anyone who’s a vegetarian, just go with vegetable broth instead.
Cook the orzo risotto-style, stirring every few minutes until it’s al dente and creamy. This only takes a few minutes, so don’t worry, no standing at the stove for an hour.
Once the orzo is al dente, stir in a splash of milk (I like using canned full coconut milk, it’s delicious, dairy-free, so creamy, and no, you do not taste any coconut) and plenty of fresh parmesan cheese. As you are stirring, smells of garlic, thyme, and parmesan will quickly hit your nose.
It’s wonderful.
Remove from the heat, and simply finish off with fresh thyme. And please, eat immediately. This is meant to be on the soupy side, meaning there should still be broth around the orzo. The orzo will soak the broth up if it sits too long. So enjoy it right away it will be just perfect.
And that’s it. Enjoy a bowl topped with fresh thyme and settle into a cozy summer meal. Yes, meal, I know this might be considered more of a side dish, but around here, this is dinner.
If you’d like to make this a little heartier, try adding a fried or soft boiled egg.
Alternately, if you’d like to serve this as a side, that works great too. I’d recommend my favorite creamed corn chicken, this colorful creamed spinach salmon, a simple roasted chicken, or even a grilled steak. Any of these would be delicious paired with this orzo.
What I love most? Even though this is best right off the stove, the leftovers are still so good. The orzo becomes more like risotto and when heated up, it makes the perfect lunch the next day. Love a dish that you can enjoy for dinner one night and lunch the following day!
OH, and of course, how could I forget. This is a great way to get in your vegetables and use up all the zucchini you have growing in the garden.
Or maybe you just picked up a few too many zucchini at the market, this is your dish. Biggest bonus? Your kids will love this too, just tell them the green specs are herbs. Or maybe double the parmesan, in my book adding more cheese is always a good idea…whether you’re a kid or an adult.
If you make this souper creamy lemon butter cheesy zucchini 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:
Souper Creamy Lemon Butter Cheesy Zucchini Orzo
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 1211 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
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 pound dry orzo pasta (use gluten-free, if needed)
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 medium zucchini and or yellow summer squash grated
- 1/2 bunch kale, finely shredded
- 3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup whole milk or canned full fat coconut milk
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 teaspoons dried)
Instructions
- 1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and garlic, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the orzo, and thyme, and cook until golden and toasted, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and kale, cooking another 2-3 minutes, until wilted. Add the 1/2 cup broth and de-glaze the pan. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, onion powder and season with salt and pepper. Slowly continue to pour in the remaining 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer 8-10 minutes until the orzo is al dente, stirring often. It should become very creamy. 2. Stir in the milk, parmesan, and parsley, cook another few minutes until warmed through. As the orzo thickens up on you, add additional broth to thin. It should be creamy, but with just a touch of liquid. 3. Divide the orzo among bowls and top with fresh thyme…add additional butter…and parmesan, if desired. Hint? It's very desirable…
Notes
Gluten Free Orzo: I love DeLallo brand gluten free orzo.
This post was originally published on August 15, 2019
Made this as a side dish with an “oven fried” chicken Milanese tonight, Oh my! SO delicious! Once again Mr. “I don’t like zucchini” cleaned his plate. ;o) Thank you Tieghan! Hmmm 36 years and finally eating zucchini – what other miracles could be possible?!
SO happy to hear that! Thank you for trying this Belle! xTieghan
Hi, Tieghan! Thank you so much for all of your recipes and work: you and your food make me really happy! I want to ask a question about thyme because I get so tired out by stripping the tiny leaves off of it that it discourages me from using fresh thyme, and I think that is a tragedy! Do you have tips for stripping thyme? When I find a stalk that doesn’t have small branches growing from it, then it’s fairly easy because I can just run by thumb and finger down the stalk from top to bottom and the little leaves pop off. But what do you do with the stalks that have lots of little side branches coming off? Helppp.
Hey Courtney!! You can do one of 2 things…
1: you can simply throw the entire thyme spring in whatever you are making, then just remove the sprig before eating if it hasn’t broken apart into the sauce. This works really well and I do it with “saucier” dishes almost always.
2: if the thyme sprig is really light and delicate (i.e it does not have a woody’s, firm stem), then you can just chop the entire sprig and use in your recipes. I also do this very often!
Hope this helps you!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This was so DELICIOUS! My kids hate zucchini, so they say..but they both went back for second helpings. Thank you so much for continuing to create such awesome recipes!
Wow that is too great!! Thank you so much for trying this one out, Candice! xTieghan
Made this for dinner tonight – so lemony, creamy, and delicious! Added some shredded, cooked chicken thighs to make it a one dish meal, along with another cup of broth to keep it soupy. So good! Will make this again!
Thank you so much Christine! xTieghan
Been making recipes from your site off and on all summer–just finished the Raspberry-Peach Oat Crumble bars this morning and am waiting for them to cool.
My question for this dish–do you drain the liquid off the grated zucchini, or do you put it into the dish?
OMG. I’ve made countless recipes from your blog/cookbooks but this is easily in my top 5. So easy and delicious! Paired it with some smoky grilled chicken thighs. Amazing!
Thank you so much Christine! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Hi! On Instagram you subbed the kale for something else… was it spinach? Thanks and can’t wait to try!
Hey Kayla, it was arugula, but spinach would be great too! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Delicious! ANOTHER great recipe!
Thank you so much Jennifer! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing! What a great way to change up how to use our massive stock of zucchini! The flavors were incredible and you were so right; felt like a comfort food dish but it was so light! The zucchini basically disappeared into the orzo & sauce – so good!! This is 100% added to our summer recipe rotation.
I am so happy to hear that Bridgette! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xTieghan
I plan on making this tomorrow evening but I only have whole wheat orzo. I’m thinking it may require more time and perhaps more liquid? Thoughts?!
Hi Jules! I am not really sure as I have not tested this with whole wheat orzo, BUT I think the cooking time and liquid amounts should be fairly similar, just adjust as you are cooking. I am sure it will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I just made this but used an 8.8 oz quick-cooking Farro plus a bunch of riced cauliflower in place of the orzo. I’m sure the texture is different than the intended recipe but it is SO good!
Thank you so much Emily! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! My boyfriend and I like to do Meatless Mondays and decided to try this last night. I used baby bella mushrooms in addition to the zucchini and used some heavy cream instead of the milk. I loved how creamy it turned out to be and for someone that has a fresh herb obsession like me, the fresh thyme in the end was perfect. Both of us really enjoyed the dish and we will be making it again 🙂
I am so glad you and your boyfriend loved this recipe Tashin! Thank you so much for trying this! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was a winner! I used spinach instead of kale as that was what I had at home. Very very good!
Thank you so much Ines!! I am so glad this turned out amazing for you! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing. It’s easy to make, full of flavor, comforting, yet light. It will definitely be on repeat in my kitchen. Thank you HBH for continuing to inspire me to cook intuitively (and creatively!)
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Reece! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Made this for dinner last night and it was great! Added more zucchini than the recipe called for but in smaller shreds – it melted into the sauce and the whole thing got thumbs up from everyone for its creamy cheesiness. I made a big batch and there were leftovers, so tonight riffed on the creamed corn orzo with shrimp recipe to deliciously repurpose these: followed the steps to sauté the corn then added chicken stock, wine, and then the leftover orzo, which warmed through and got saucy and delicious. A bit more cheese on top and it was a hit for the second night in a row. Highly recommend this recipe as-is and as a base to be creative!
Hi Emily! I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan