An almost one-pot meal that I could eat every day.
Lemon Orzo with Asparagus and Goat Cheese… and Brown Butter! Because brown butter makes the world go round. I’m sure of it.
This entire delicious meal is ready in less than half an hour. The brown butter is ready in minutes and can even be made ahead. The asparagus roasts for a quick 5 minutes and everything else takes nothing more than a good toss once the orzo is cooked.
Do I really roast my asparagus at 450 in the oven?
Yep. You sure do. Trust me. This is actually how I cook many of my vegetables (perfect broccoli in 10 minutes? I make it every week… remind me to tell you about that later). The oven is hot enough to get a good sear quickly and then veggies are cooked quickly, but never over cooked and I strongly dislike overcooked veggies (except canned beans… they’re deliciously mushy).
Also… 5 minutes!! That’s how long it takes. And it’s perfect.
Anything Special You Need to Know About this Lemon Orzo with Asparagus?
*This easy vegetarian meal could easily be made in one pot if you’re in a time crunch, just add the asparagus into the orzo pot while it simmers. But, I beg you to try roasting the asparagus separately. It only takes 5 minutes and the difference between roasted asparagus and boiled asparagus is big. BIG.
*Can we talk about something less appetizing for just a second? Does asparagus makes your pee smell weird? Did you know that this only happens to 20%-50% of people??!! Blows my mind. Please ignore this if you’re one of the 50%-80% who luckily don’t have this problem, but if you’re an inquiring mind, like me, read this.
I serve this warm because we eat it for dinner, but it could be made into kind of an asparagus orzo salad situation if you chop up the asparagus, toss it all together and serve at room temp.
It would make a great brunch dish or a fantastic addition to a picnic.
Recipe-ish…
Lemon Orzo with Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Brown Butter
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Olive Oil divided
- 1/2 white onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/2 cups orzo
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 bunch asparagus trimmed
- 4 cups broth
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 3 Tbsp butter browned
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450.
- Brown the butter. Keep warm and set aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the orzo and the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Add in the broth and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 8-10 minutes.
- While it cooks, toss the asparagus with 1 Tbsp olive oil and a big pinch each S&P. Roast on a baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Remove the orzo from the heat. Stir in the goat cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Serve with the asparagus and drizzle with brown butter.
Let me know what you think!
If you like this Lemon Orzo with Asparagus, Goat Cheese & Brown Butter Recipe then you’d love this Easy Asparagus with Smoked Gouda, Brown Butter & Walnuts. Because if you like brown butter as much as I do you’ll be hooked.
