easy weeknight meals – Live Laugh Love Do http://livelaughlovedo.com A Super Fun Site Sun, 14 Sep 2025 20:51:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 Greek Chicken Orzo Casserole Recipe http://livelaughlovedo.com/food-and-drink/greek-chicken-orzo-casserole-recipe/ http://livelaughlovedo.com/food-and-drink/greek-chicken-orzo-casserole-recipe/#respond Sun, 14 Sep 2025 20:51:47 +0000 http://livelaughlovedo.com/2025/09/15/greek-chicken-orzo-casserole-recipe/ [ad_1]

This Greek chicken orzo casserole is my flavorful and comforting take on Mediterranean chicken in a casserole form. It’s packed with fresh ingredients and bold Mediterranean flavors, and is perfect for busy weeknights because everything bakes together in one casserole dish. Bookmark this one! It’s been on the regular rotation in my house since I developed it — it’s just THAT good.

A baked casserole dish filled with chicken, cherry tomatoes, orzo pasta, red onions, and a large block of feta cheese in the center, garnished with fresh basil.

One pot: As a new mom, this is CRUCIAL. I love that you don’t need to cook the chicken separately, and the block of feta becomes so creamy and melty once its baked in the middle of the casserole dish.

So flavorful: I can’t get enough of the Mediterranean flavors in this casserole! Pro tip: don’t skip the sun-dried tomatoes in oil — both the tomatoes and the oil add such rich flavor that gets infused throughout the entire casserole.

Serves the whole fam: I love eating family-style at my house, so I just put this casserole right in the middle of the table and let the family serve themselves. I serve mine with a side of warm pita or naan.

The Ingredients

  • Chicken: This recipe calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts. Chicken thighs will also work, just make sure they’re also boneless and skinless and cut into 1 in. chunks.
  • Feta: You’ll need a whole whopping block of feta. It cooks down into the most amazing creamy sauce once you stir the casserole together after it bakes. Seriously, so rich, creamy and amps up the Greek-inpsired flavors.
  • Spinach: 2 cups of spinach will cook down significantly when baked — it sounds like a lot of spinach, but definitely isn’t over-powering once it cooks down and wilts.
  • Cherry tomatoes: The tomatoes will burst either when baked or when you’re tossing the casserole together with the sauce right before serving, so no need to spend time halving them before baking.
  • Oregano: You’ll season the chicken with oregano and salt. It adds just the right amount of flavor that complements the Mediterranean flavors without overpowering.
Step-by-step images show seasoned chicken, vegetables, feta, and broth in a baking dish, baked together and mixed into a casserole with tomatoes and greens.

Equipment

This casserole needs to be baked both covered and uncovered, so you’ll ideally want to use a casserole dish that has a cover like this one below ⤵. If you don’t have a covered casserole dish, simply cover your baking dish with aluminum foil when baking.

White casserole dish.

Our Favorite

Casserole Dish

We love this le creuset casserole dish because it is oven safe AND has a cover. It is the perfect casserole dish for this baked one pot pasta dish!

How To Make Greek Chicken Orzo Bake

This orzo casserole has MINIMAL prep time, and then it spends the rest of its time baking away in the oven 🙂 Here’s what you’ll need to do:

  1. Add the cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, onion, olives, orzo, salt, and dried oregano right into the casserole dish and mix to combine. 
  2. In a separate bowl, season the chicken with the remaining salt and oregano, and toss to coat. 
  3. Add the chicken and broth to the casserole dish and stir to combine. 
  4. Make a small hole in the center of all of the ingredients and place the block of feta in the middle. Cover and bake at 375ºF for 30 minutes. 
  5. Remove the casserole from the oven, stir, and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes.
  6. Remove the casserole from the oven and stir together until the feta has turned into a creamy sauce. Top with fresh basil, and ENJOY!

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I like to store mine right in the casserole dish that it was baked in.

More Mediterranean-Inspired Meals

A person uses two forks to serve a baked dish with chicken, cherry tomatoes, greens, orzo, and feta cheese in a white casserole dish. Fresh herbs are visible on the side.

More Recipes Like This

  • Preheat the oven to 375ºF and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with oil. Set aside.

  • Add the cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, onion, olives, pasta, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon dried oregano to the casserole dish and mix to combine.

  • Separately, season the chicken with the remaining salt and oregano. Toss to coat.

  • Add the chicken and broth to the casserole dish and stir to combine.

  • Make a small hole in the center of all of the ingredients and place the block of feta in the middle. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.

  • Remove the casserole from the oven, stir, and bake uncovered for another 20 minutes.

  • Remove the casserole from the oven and check that the orzo is fully cooked. If the pasta is not fully cooked, remove the casserole from the oven, add 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, and cover for an additional 10-15 minutes.

  • Stir the casserole together until the feta has turned into a creamy sauce. Top with fresh basil.

  • We do not recommend substituting the orzo pasta with any other pasta.
  • We have not tested this recipe with gluten-free pasta. The liquid to pasta ratio may be different for gluten-free pasta.

Calories: 380 kcal, Carbohydrates: 36 g, Protein: 27 g, Fat: 14 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 4 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.

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]]> http://livelaughlovedo.com/food-and-drink/greek-chicken-orzo-casserole-recipe/feed/ 0 Pesto Shrimp Orzo – Bites of Wellness http://livelaughlovedo.com/health-wellness/pesto-shrimp-orzo-bites-of-wellness/ http://livelaughlovedo.com/health-wellness/pesto-shrimp-orzo-bites-of-wellness/#respond Fri, 30 May 2025 09:10:58 +0000 http://livelaughlovedo.com/2025/05/30/pesto-shrimp-orzo-bites-of-wellness/

Pesto shrimp orzo is an easy, flavorful, creamy meal that is ready in just 20 minutes with 4 main ingredients. This orzo pasta is coated with pesto and paired with plump shrimp and tomatoes for a simple weeknight dinner. Perfect for weekday meals but also perfect to feed a crowd.

If you love quick and easy recipes like this, you should try my Pesto Tuna Pasta recipe or try this Pesto Chicken Skillet with rice or pasta on the side for a simple meal.

Wood spoon resting in a large stainless steel pot of shrimp orzo pesto.Wood spoon resting in a large stainless steel pot of shrimp orzo pesto.
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Recipe highlights

  • 4 ingredients
  • 20 minutes
  • Easy to make
  • Crowd pleasing meal
  • Great for busy weeknights
  • Versatile
Ingredients to make pesto orzo shrimp on marble countertop.Ingredients to make pesto orzo shrimp on marble countertop.

Ingredients

  • Orzo – this small pasta looks like rice but it’s pasta. Sometimes finding a gluten free orzo can be tough, so you could also use gluten free pasta.
  • Pesto – use your favorite pesto or make your own.
  • Shrimp – I like to use large Argentinian Pink Shrimp from Trader Joe’s. I like this because it’s peeled and deveined. Be sure to allow the shrimp to defrost completely before cooking.
  • Tomatoes – I love adding tomatoes to any dish with pesto. It’s a great pop of color and the flavors pair perfectly.

How to make pesto orzo with shrimp

Cook orzo: Bring water to a boil, cook orzo according to the package directions.

Cook the shrimp. Heat a medium to large skillet over medium heat. When hot, spray with avocado oil (or olive oil) and add shrimp, salt and garlic powder. Cook 2-3 minutes, flip and cook 1-2 more minutes. Turn off heat.

Shrimp in a stainless steel pan.Shrimp in a stainless steel pan.

Cut tomatoes in half.

Reserve pasta water: When orzo is done cooking, reserve 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.

Assemble the dish: Drain orzo, add shrimp, pesto and tomatoes to the pot. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta water and stir well. Add more pasta water if needed.

Ingredients to make shrimp orzo pesto in a stainless steel pot before stirring.Ingredients to make shrimp orzo pesto in a stainless steel pot before stirring.
Shrimp orzo pesto pasta in a stainless steel pot.Shrimp orzo pesto pasta in a stainless steel pot.

Top tips

  • Make this with shrimp, chicken, chickpeas or salmon.
  • Use store bought pesto to make this super simple. If you have an excess amount of basil at home, make your own pesto!
  • To save time, be sure to buy peeled, deveined shrimp. I always buy frozen and defrost in under an hour or overnight (if you remember to defrost the night before).
  • If you forget to defrost your shrimp, you can cook frozen shrimp in the air fryer.

Variations

  • Add more veggies: Add cooked zucchini, broccoli, bell peppers, asparagus, roasted red peppers, baby spinach, kale, artichoke hearts
  • Spice: Add crushed red pepper flakes
  • Other protein: You can use cooked chicken (diced chicken or shredded chicken), chickpeas, Italian tofu or salmon bites.
Orzo shrimp pesto being spooned out of a pot by a large wood spoon.Orzo shrimp pesto being spooned out of a pot by a large wood spoon.

What to serve with pesto orzo

Common questions

Where to find gluten free orzo

Orzo is pasta that is cooked short and resembles rice. Until recently, there were not a ton of gluten free options. However, I have found 2 really delicious gluten free options:

Forkful of pesto shrimp orzo over white bowl.Forkful of pesto shrimp orzo over white bowl.

Can you use homemade pesto

Yes! If you have an abundance of basil and would prefer to use homemade, use your favorite recipe or you can try:

What if you don’t have orzo?

If you don’t have orzo pasta, you can use rice, pasta, spaghetti squash, or cauliflower rice.

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

  • 1 pound large shrimp – peeled and deveined
  • 1 cup pesto
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 8 oz orzo
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes – cut in half
  • ¼ cup pasta water

  • Bring water to a boil, cook orzo according to the package directions.

  • While orzo is cooking, cook the shrimp. Heat a medium to large skillet over medium heat. When hot, spray with avocado oil (or olive oil) and add shrimp, salt and garlic powder. Cook 2-3 minutes, flip and cook 1-2 more minutes. Turn off heat.

  • Cut tomatoes in half.

  • When orzo is done cooking, reserve 1/4 – 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.

  • Drain orzo, add shrimp, pesto and tomatoes to the pot. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta water and stir well. Add more pasta water if needed.

  • Serve hot or at room temperature.

Top tips:
  • Make this with shrimp, chicken, chickpeas or salmon.
  • Use store bought or homemade pesto. 
  • To save time, be sure to buy peeled, deveined shrimp. If frozen, defrost in under an hour or overnight.
  • If you forget to defrost your shrimp, you can cook frozen shrimp in the air fryer.
Storing leftovers:
    • Fridge: Store leftover shrimp orzo pesto pasta in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
    • Freezer: You can freeze leftovers in a freezer safe container, however I don’t love the texture of the shrimp when frozen and defrosted after being cooked.

Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.

Let others know by rating and leaving a comment below!


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