One Pot Lemon Garlic Shrimp Orzo

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I really like food.

Give me all cuisines, all flavors (except spicy because apparently I can’t handle the heat but I will NOT get out of the kitchen #heckno), and all cooking methods. One of the biggest downsides to being a big foodie, though, is the mess that comes with it. I swear, it kinda just sneaks up on you and one minute you’re doing you’re minding your own business, doing your cooking’ thing and then BOOM. You turn around and it looks like your kitchen exploded on you. A mountain of dishes overflowing everywhere. Half-chopped onions are on the floor and it’s making you emotional (onions=the original tear gas). And I’m not even sure why the entire counter is so sticky.

WHAT IS HAPPENING. Kitchen warfare.

That’s why this recipe has my heart. One pot. ONE.

The orzo cooks right along with the veggies, soaks up all the liquid, and you’re good to go! I’m used to having at least several pots and pans going at the same time, but with this recipe, it’s one and done. I am in love.

Orzo will always be one of my favorite pasta shapes. It must have something to do with it’s similarity to rice, which my half-Japanese heart beats for (<3), but I also think it’s because it’s just a nice change up from your run-of-the-mill average spaghetti. Pasta can get a bit redundant for me, so I love making little changes to make one of Kyle’s favorite foods more fun!

This recipe is a spin off of a dish that Kyle used to make every Sunday when we were in Santa Barbara for the school year. We called it Farmer’s Market Pasta because we would spend the morning strolling up and down the isles of fresh produce and pick out the veggies and herbs that we wanted to include that week. We even were able to score some freshly made pasta (!) from a bread stand as well as some herbed garlic focaccia to really make things taste completely homemade. We’d come back to my house, make a mess in the kitchen, then settle down with heaping bowls of steaming noodles and watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones. HEAVEN!

I’ve adapted this version to be a one pot, easy clean-up recipe because no one wants to spend time cleaning dirty dishes when you could be stuffing your face with even more food. It’s chock full of vibrant flavors and the combination of the lemon and garlic is officially my new best friend. It’s also on the healthier side because it’s made with a tomato base (rather than cream) and includes tons of vegetables to add fiber, nutrients, and bulk to each serving. And ya’ll know I’m all about eating LOTS of good food, so anyone who is in the same boat as me will rejoice! Huzzah! Pasta miracle.