Easy and delicious, this one-pan shrimp and orzo also includes spinach and cherry tomatoes in the mix for a well-rounded and delicious dinner.

shrimp and orzo with tomatoes and spinach in skillet
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Why you’ll love this shrimp and orzo

  • This shrimp orzo recipe is a great one-pot meal, with a well-rounded collection of ingredients.
  • Garlic, wine and fresh lemon juice are classic flavours with the shrimp and pasta.
  • The shrimp cooks from frozen, so no need to plan ahead!

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Orzo – Any brand of orzo (or any small pasta, actually) will work fine here. If you’d like to add extra flavour and you have a bit of extra time, you can toast the orzo in a dry skillet or for a few minutes before adding it to the pot.
  • Shrimp – The recipe specifies frozen, raw shrimp (peeled and deveined). If you only have frozen cooked shrimp, simply shorten the poaching time to avoid over-cooking the shrimp.
  • Tomatoes – You can use halved cherry tomatoes or diced whole, fresh tomatoes here.
  • Spinach – Baby spinach works nicely, but you can also chop larger spinach. You could substitute frozen spinach for the fresh, breaking it into the simmering orzo from frozen. You can also substitute other fresh greens, if you like.
  • Wine – Use any white wine you enjoy drinking. If you don’t have wine or prefer not to use it, simply replace it with chicken broth.

Step-by-step photos

adding frozen shrimp to pan
1
shrimp poaching in wine garlic liquid
2
removing cooked shrimp to bowl
3
adding orzo to pan
4
adding spinach to pan
5
adding salt to pan
6
  1. Sauté some garlic in butter and olive oil, then add a bit of wine. Add the shrimp to the poaching liquid.
  2. Cook the shrimp until they turn pink, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Remove shrimp to a bowl and tent with foil to keep warm.
  4. Add some water (or broth) to the poaching liquid, add the orzo and simmer until al dente.
  5. Add the spinach to the pan.
  6. Add the reserved shrimp and cherry tomatoes, then season with salt, as needed.
one-pan orzo with shrimp in pan

Top tip!

Salt! The recipe adds salt a few times during the cooking process, but at the end of cooking, be sure to taste and add a touch more, if needed. If it tastes flat at all, it needs more salt. (*If you substitute chicken broth for the wine or add a bit of broth to the water to cook the orzo, you can scale back the added salt a bit, to make up for the salt in the broth.

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one-pan orzo with shrimp in pan

Get the Recipe: One-Pan Shrimp with Orzo

Easy and delicious, this one-pan shrimp with orzo also adds spinach and cherry tomatoes to the mix for a well rounded and delicious dinner.
5 stars from 5 ratings
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, or chicken stock or broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lb. raw large shrimp peeled deveined, frozen (no need to thaw)
  • 2 cups water, or try half water and half chicken broth
  • 1 cup uncooked orzo
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 4 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 lemon, halved

For serving:

  • Flaky sea salt
  • lemon wedges, for drizzling
  • extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Instructions
 

  • The salt additions in the recipe assume using wine and water. If you add broth in place of the wine and/or to replace part of the water, reduce the added salt, as the broth will likely be salted.
  • Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute (don't let it burn!). Add the wine, red pepper lakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, without stirring, until wine reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the frozen shrimp and cook about 2-3 minutes, depending on size, until they are just pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shrimp to a bowl. Tent with foil to keep warm.
  • Add water to the remaining mixture in skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the orzo and another 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and simmer until orzo is just tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir once or twice while the orzo is simmering and stir in the spinach after about 10 minutes of simmering. Add more water if the skillet looks dry. *Tip! If your skillet doesn't have a lid, use a large baking sheet placed on top of the skillet in place of a lid.
  • Once orzo is tender, remove the lid. Add the reserved shrimp and the cherry tomatoes. Add a final 1/2 teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes, to soften the tomatoes a bit. Stir in the parsley, then squeeze juice from half a lemon into mixture. Stir to combine. Remove from heat. Cut remaining lemon half into wedges. Sprinkle mixture with flaky sea salt and additional crushed red pepper. Serve drizzled with additional olive oil, if desired and serve with lemon wedges to drizzle additional fresh lemon juice.

Notes

It may seem like you’re putting a lot of salt into this dish, but if using just wine and water, there is no other salt in the dish. If you add chicken broth to the mix, either in place of the wine or as part of the water, reduce the added salt a bit, as the broth is salted to some extent. In any event, be sure to taste at the end of cooking and add additional salt if you think it’s needed.
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Course: Main Course
Author: Jennifer Maloney
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 158mg, Sodium: 1603mg, Potassium: 576mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 4031IU, Vitamin C: 42mg, Calcium: 134mg, Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Leaving a review! is always helpful and appreciated by fellow cooks!

Adapted from a Melissa Clark recipe

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