Print

Creamy Lemon Courgette Orzo

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This creamy lemon courgette orzo is so incredibly delicious, which is surprising given how short the ingredient list is. It gets a big boost of flavour from caramelised lemons. The resultant lemon-infused olive oil is then used to fry the courgettes, which develop some caramelisation of their own, and the rest of the dish comes together with garlic, parmesan and mascarpone. 

  • Author: zenak
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 3 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 175g dried orzo
  • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 
  • ½ lemon, thinly sliced 
  • 350g baby courgettes (or regular courgettes), sliced into ½ cm thick slices 
  • 2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced or minced 
  • 500ml vegetable or chicken stock
  • 60g mascarpone
  • 25g parmigiano reggiano or grana padano, grated

Instructions

  1. Tip the orzo into a large, dry frying pan set over a medium-high heat. Toast, stirring frequently, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned, then transfer to a bowl. Note: some grains will be browner than others–that’s ok! 
  2. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in the same frying pan set over a medium-high heat.
  3. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer and cook until caramelised and browned at the edges, then flip and cook until beginning to caramelise and brown on the bottom, around 5 minutes. 
  4. Transfer the caramelised lemon slices to a chopping board, leaving the now lemon-infused olive oil in the frying pan. 
  5. Heat the lemon-infused olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the courgettes and season generously with salt and pepper. 
  6. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until browned in places, then add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. 
  7. Add the toasted orzo and stock and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently to ensure nothing sticks, until the orzo is almost done. If the orzo is still hard once the stock has evaporated, add boiling water as needed. 
  8. Add the mascarpone and parmigiano reggiano and turn the heat down to low. Stir until everything melts together and the creamy sauce nicely coats the orzo, then remove the frying pan from the heat. If need be, add a splash of boiling water to loosen.
  9. Finely chop the caramelised lemon. Stir half of the caramelised lemon into the orzo. Taste and adjust the salt level to your liking. 
  10. To serve, divide the orzo between bowls and top with the remaining caramelised lemon – enjoy. 

Find it online: https://zenaskitchen.com/creamy-lemon-courgette-orzo-zucchini/

Search