This perfectly light summer dish comes together in about 30 minutes, combining delicious flavors of shrimp and lemon with a creamy base.
Jump to RecipeIn South Texas, it’s basically already summer… as I write this the temperature is nearing 80F and there’s a wonderful thunderstorm rumbling. In addition to the rain, lemon and shrimp seem to say “summer” to me. Both can be refreshing on a hot summer day, so we will be making shrimp orzo with lemon a few times throughout the season.
Recently, orzo has been one of my go-to ingredients. I really like the taste, texture, and versatility of orzo pasta and have been finding numerous ways to use it. Plus, as an added bonus, almost every orzo meal we’ve made reheats really well for lunch the next day.
Shrimp Orzo with Lemon is prepared in only one large pan, so cleanup is easy when you’re done. Since the orzo is cooked in broth rather than water, it holds a lot more flavor for the final meal.
The original idea for this recipe came from the Cooking Light magazine. I changed quite a few things as I was cooking it. I like to use either photos or recipes as a base idea for a lot of meals. Then tweak and change based on our tastes as well as what we have on hand or even what was available at the grocery store when we went.

Shrimp Orzo with Lemon Step by Step
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 cup orzo (uncooked)
- 1/3 cup white cooking wine
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 lb shrimp (medium, peeled and deveined)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp chives

Preparation
Place a large stockpot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. While the oil is heating, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add them to the hot oil. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.


Add the orzo pasta and toast for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour the white cooking wine into the orzo and bring to a boil.
Once the liquid has evaporated, pour in 2 cups of the chicken broth and sprinkle with salt.

Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 7-8 minutes, until the liquid has absorbed and evaporated.

Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth plus the lemon zest and shrimp. Cook for another 7-8 minutes, until the liquid has absorbed most of the way. The shrimp should be cooked through, too.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice, pepper, and cream cheese. Stir until combined.

Separate the pasta into serving dishes and garnish with chives.


Recipe
Originally Published On: February 7, 2019
Last Updated On: January 20, 2023

Shrimp Orzo with Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 cup orzo (uncooked)
- 1/3 cup white cooking wine
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 lb shrimp (medium, peeled and deveined)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 oz cream cheese
- 1 tbsp chives
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Add oil to a large stockpot and heat over medium-high
- Meanwhile, dice the onion and mince the garlic
- When the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and thyme to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often
- Add the orzo and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly
- Pour in the white wine and bring to a boil
- Once the liquid has evaporated, pour in 2 cups of the chicken broth and sprinkle with salt
- Bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 7-8 minutes, until the liquid has absorbed
- Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, lemon zest, and shrimp
- Cook for another 7-8 minutes, until the liquid has absorbed and the shrimp are cooked
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice, pepper, and cream cheese
- Stir until combined
- Separate the pasta into serving dishes and garnish with chives
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Thank you for the recipe, I will definitely grab this and cook for my family it looks delicious 🙂
You’re welcome! I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!
Orzo brings back memories of my dad for real – he used to make a lot of orzo dishes when I was a kid. I loved that pasta’s consistency! I am sure he still makes orzo meals now but I just don’t live at home anymore, and can’t eat pasta anymore either. I am now trying to remind myself if he’s ever made SHRIMP orzo before!
That’s so awesome that it can bring back fun memories! We never had orzo growing up, I hadn’t even heard of it until just a couple of years ago but it’s quickly become my favorite pasta.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it looks delicious! It looks like your son really likes to help out in the kitchen too. That’s great when its a family thing, it really does bring family together.
My older son really likes to be in the kitchen with me. He always wants to help cook while my younger son just wants to eat it all!
I have never tried orzo pasta! This recipe seems easy and delicious to me 😋🤤 Also I love shrimps, so I would love to try this shrimp orzo with lemon recipe someday soon!
I only had orzo for the first time a few years ago, and it’s my favorite type of pasta. The shrimp is perfect with the pasta.
Now you’ve made me hungry… this sounds absolutely delicious! I’ve never had orzo pasta though so will have to get some and try this recipe out.
It’s such a good meal. You should try to find some orzo, it’s such a perfect summer pasta!
I can’t believe I have never heard of Orzo before! I would love to know what other dishes you can make with Orzo! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
If you search for orzo on here, you’ll find a few recipes! It’s been my favorite lately so I have quite a few recipes with it.
I am not sure if I can pull this off, but I’ll give it a try anyway. And thank you for sharing.
It’s really a pretty easy dish to make! Just a lot of adding things in and stirring.
I feel exactly the same about orzo;
taste, texture and versatility, for me it’s a perfect product.
I like that it looks just as healthy as rice but it is better in taste 😉
I’m so glad someone else knows the wonders of orzo! I love it and it seems so many haven’t heard about it before.
Ooooo shrimp is one of my favorites!!! Especially during the summer. I will have to add this recipe to my dinner menu!
Shrimp and seafood are perfect for the summer!
Orzo is such a great pasta to use to mix things up! I love it with lemon too. I’m saving this to make for myself since the rest of my family is allergic to shellfish. It looks so yummy! I love seafood! 🙂
My mom is very allergic to shellfish, too! My dad makes these types of meals when she isn’t home.
Oh wow 80, sounds like it is sizzling hot in Texas for sure. This Shrimp Orzo is deffo my hubbys fav kind of dish xx
That’s nothing yet! In the summer we sometimes reach triple digits here. But, I hate the cold so I will take that over a place that snows for months at a time any day.
This DOES sound like “summer” for sure! I don’t do shrimp, but my hubby would love to make this for the girls in early June when I’m away at a conference, I bet!
That sounds like a great meal for him if they all enjoy it. My mom is allergic to shellfish, so we always had meals like this whenever she was out of town! Now, when she comes to visit, we get photos from him of all the seafood he is cooking in the house while she isn’t there!!
I absolutely love this recipe idea! Who thought orzo could be mixed with shrimp? I have always used it in soups etc, but never like this. This is definitely going on my “to-try” list 🙂
I love orzo! We’ve been using it in a lot of meals lately. It’s so perfect for summer!