One-Pan Orzo With Spinach and Feta Recipe (2024)

I am adding the spinach at the end, so it doesn't become overcooked.

Made this tonight, and it was delicious, quick comfort food. I roasted zucchini while prepping the rest to augment the veg, which added a nice juiciness too. Agree with adding the spinach at the end. Highly recommend the combo of parsley and mint instead of dill. For those wanting an vegan alternative, use EVOO instead of butter, and add navy beans for protein instead of feta. A few slivered sun-dried tomatoes would replace the zing of the feta.

Toast the orzo in butter until light golden brown, THEN add the liquid. It brings the complexity of this dish to a whole new level.

The Greeks use rice instead of orzo and call it spanakorizo.

WINNER! This is almost like eating spinach pie (Spanakopita) without nearly as much work. Didn't have orzo; used basmati rice (3/4 cup), so I actually made a version of Spanakorizo. I used a package Green Giant frozen (steam) spinach (I highly recomment this product). This made a large amount. We had it for dinner twice and there were still leftovers (lunch?). Other change-ups: a whole onion, chopped, mint and parsely in lieu of dill, 2 TB lemon juice.

That spinach will wilt in about thirty seconds, not five minutes, and if it is cooked for 10 to 14 minutes with the orzo, nothing will be left of it but green color and shreds. Add the baby spinach leaves at the end of cooking—the heat of the finished dish will wilt it quite adequately.

If you do not like feta consider maybe consider goat cheese or some ricotta cheese.

Loved this! Subbed farro for orzo, threw in half of a red onion aging in the fridge, omitted peas because I didn’t have them.Excellent and adaptable! Approved by three toddlers, no bribes. Thank you as always Melissa!

Also good swapping the peas for frozen edamame if you want your vegetarians to eat more protein. Good idea to do the spinach later rather than sooner.

Added a splash of lemon juice at the end. Delicious!

Mexican cheese Cotija also called Queso Añejo Mexicano is an excellent substitute for Feta

Followed the recipe but substituted chard for the spinach, used half olive oil and half butter,and added a splash of fish sauce and a pinch of red chillies. Quite delicious and was surprisingly lucious for minimal butter. I did find that I needed more stock/water than the recipe calls for and had to add in small increments during the final cooking process. I'd definitely make this again!

Wonderful and so quick. Added a can of white beans to make it more of a meal than a side dish.

Is there a good substitute for feta for those of us with feta-averse family members?

This dish has been in my family for generations. We use only EVOO, no butter and yes, it’s just as delicious without cheese. I also add a shallot with the scallions for more flavor and I highly recommend fresh dill over cilantro.

Obsessed with this dish. Have made it 4-5 times and make small adjustments/additions each time. Most recently I replaced green onion with minced yellow onion and cooked down about 1.5 cups of chopped baby Bella mushrooms before adding the spinach. Perfect dish to kick off spring!

I made this according to the recipe…used 2 blocks of frozen chopped spinach and added chopped parsley and used a whole bag of frozen baby peas to the mix. A delicious meatless meal. The lemon is a must! This morning heated some up and put two poached eggs on top. Perfect. Will make a new batch for Easter morning breakfast.

Made this last night and really enjoyed it, although I incorporated some minor adjustments. I used shallot for my allium component instead of scallions, as I had them available. I also used frozen spinach which I added at the recommend time, but definitely think fresh spinach would benefit from being added later in the cooking process.A very bright punchy dish, with loads of flavour!

Wow. This is the best vegetarian recipe I have tried. The flavors are well balanced. I followed the recipe as is with the addition of canned sardines, which is completely optional but added extra depth of flavor for this pescatarian. Don’t skip the lemon zest. It makes the dish sing.

Add white beans, mint and parsley

This is a delicious, easy, customizable winner of a dish! Like some other reviewers, I add spinach at the end. It is wonderful as written and easy to customize with whatever you have on hand. I particularly loved it with some white beans added with the stock and mint and parsley added with spinach at the end. Yum!

Doubled the peas and garlic for my family.

Made it with feta and it was amazing, perfect creamy salty balance, but feta is hard on my body and there were consequences. The second time I subbed feta for a half cup of parm for meltiness and right at the end a half cup of mozzarella pearls for the little bursts of creaminess. It worked pretty well! Needs a bit more salt and probably still slightly worse than with feta but a possible substitute for the feta-challenged.

This was a hit, even with the littles! But you would need to double it, or add a lot of extras like beans, to feed four adults.

wow! Surprisingly, unexpectedly particularly delicious!

Do not add full cup of dill. Very strong

double for enough food

Delicious! Made exactly as written, with the spinach in early as she suggests. Melissa Clark is the guru, do not question! Used veg broth instead of chicken, and put the peas in a little before the pasta was done bc mine were frozen.

Really nice. I strongly recommend purchasing fresh dill for this as the recipe lists; I subbed in dried and I think the flavor wasn't quite as vibrant as it should have been. Very tasty anyway.

I used finely chopped yellow onion instead of scallions; the sweetness of the cooked-down onion complements the spinach beautifully. Sauteed orzo with the onion to get a bit of toasty flavour. Added the garlic for the last couple of minutes of sauteing, and the spinach after five minutes of cooking the orzo, etc., in chicken stock. And I used parm reggiano instead of feta, thinking lemon zest would provide enough of a tart counterpoint, and for the parm's umami. Delicious.