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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Toast orzo in butter first. Add spinach 3/4 of way through. Add a can of small white beans, sweet peas, chopped black olives & dill when there are only a few minutes of cooking left. Mix in feta cheese & remaining scallions right before serving. Use no more than 1/2 tsp of salt, total.

Have subbed with cabbage and ricotta salads-WORKS

I used shallots instead of scallions because I had some needing used up. Also threw in a bit of red pepper flakes. This was so delightful!

I made this recipe with fresh local spinach and it came out perfectly as written. The spinach was not overcooked and it is so flavorful! No idea why people seem to have so many concerns about the mechanics. Use fresh spinach and it will be perfect. Highly recommend!

Need to double the recipe

Zoe and Kyle made for easy and quick weeknight dinner. Used chicken broth because we didn’t have veggie. Also doubled peas. Really good— served with salmon

Excellent! I already had some parsley so used that instead of dill, and I only had frozen spinach, which I added at the end with frozen peas. Very tasty pantry dinner!

To make this much healthier, sub any whole grain for the pasta. I used bulgar wheat, and doubled the amount of spinach (12oz frozen). Very tasty!

Added the spinach as directed earlier on and it was fine. I used edamame instead of peas because I don’t like peas and I thought it was a great addition! Agree with other commenters that it’s a decent amount of prep/chopping, so allow for that in planning the time.

Would love to say I made this and it was fabulous but I substituted most of the ingredients, didn’t measure anything, and it was still fabulous. I think it can be made with almost anything similar and the flavors will work. I had collards, a leek, and couscous. I cooked the vegetables longer in the liquid before adding the couscous. I also added a can of kidney beans with the feta. Yum!

Delicious! Easy and fast. We loved it as a stand alone meal; I'll make it again this week to enjoy with pork tenderloin. I used flat leaf Italian parsley and a mild feta. Use high quality stock for best flavor. I didn't toast the orzo first as one commenter suggested, but might try that sometime. Yes to about 30 seconds cooking the spinach in step 2. I moved to step 3 as soon as I got all the spinach in and slightly wilted. Otherwise, made as directed. This'll be a regular for us now.

Only cooked the spinach about 2 minutes and it was great. Didn’t have green onion so I cooked some shallot in the butter and also great. 1 to adding beans!