Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 white onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ zucchini grated
- 1.5 cups dried orzo
- 14 oz canned chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 lemons zest and juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- ½ cup spinach washed and chopped
- 3 tablespoon lighter cream cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 6–8 fresh basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the diced onion. Saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the grated zucchini and saute for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the dried orzo, the chickpeas, and salt and pepper, followed by the vegetable stock and the juice and zest of one of the lemons.
- Stir everything together and leave the pot to simmer for 8 minutes until the orzo has absorbed most of the vegetable stock, stirring often to avoid the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Taste the orzo to test if it's cooked – add more stock or water if needed.
- Stir the chopped spinach, Parmesan, and cream cheese into the orzo until the spinach has wilted down and the cream cheese has melted into the orzo.
- Top with the remaining lemon juice and zest, and chopped basil leaves.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
Add more stock or water during cooking if the orzo seems dry.
For added flavor, use homemade vegetable stock instead of canned.
Feel free to substitute the cream cheese with a dairy-free alternative if needed.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 47g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 20mg