Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon (one pan meal)

This dreamy orzo dish kicked off my love of the little pasta over 5 years ago. Get ready for an easy garlic parmesan orzo pasta with spinach, crispy bacon, and all the veggies you could dream of.

This delicious, healthy one pan dinner is one that you can throw together any day of the week. Everyone loves it thanks to flavorful, crispy bacon. Personally, I’m a huge fan because it’s a great excuse to use up all the veggies in your fridge (including an entire package of spinach!)

I recommend serving this recipe with a side of my best ever garlic bread, because why not?

Everything you’ll need to make this parmesan orzo pasta

This easy garlic parmesan orzo is filled with colorful veggies, tender orzo pasta, and savory bacon. What more could you ask for?! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• Orzo: the base is, of course, delicious orzo!
• Bacon: we’re adding a wonderful, savory, salty element with bacon.
• Produce: you’ll also need garlic, onion, spinach, shredded carrots, red bell pepper, zucchini, and corn. Gorgeous!
• Seasonings: don’t forget plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Chicken broth: you’ll simmer the orzo low-sodium chicken broth to get it tender and flavorful.
• Parmesan: gotta have that melty cheese in every bite! Plus, garlic and parmesan together is just *chef’s kiss*.
• To garnish: I like to finish the dish with lemon zest, lemon juice, and a drizzle of hot honey. YUM.

Our fav ingredient swaps

Looking to customize a bit? Here’s what we can recommend for substituting in this orzo recipe:

• Swap the bacon. Feel free to use sliced, sauteed chicken sausage instead, or even some cooked, shredded chicken!
• Make it vegetarian. A can of rinsed, drained white beans or even roasted, crunchy chickpeas would be the perfect swap for the bacon to keep the recipe vegetarian.
• Up the veggies. Feel free to swap or add in any veggies you’d like as well. Broccoli would be delicious.

Tips for the best garlic parmesan orzo

• Use fresh parmesan. The parmesan that comes out of the green canister often has caking agents in it, so it doesn’t melt well. We want the real deal, freshly grated parmesan cheese for flavor and creaminess!
• Cook the bacon properly. Use good-quality bacon and cook it over medium heat, then switch it to medium-low to prevent burning. You can also cook it in the oven with this tutorial! Feel free to cook it for more or less time depending on how crispy you like it, and blot the excess grease from the bacon when it’s done.

How to store leftovers

Add any leftover orzo to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Simply reheat in a microwave safe dish.

Tools you’ll need

Get all of my fav kitchen tools here!

More pasta recipes you’ll love

Get all of our amazing noodles & pasta recipes here!

I hope you love this easy, delicious garlic parmesan orzo recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!

The
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook

125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day

Spinach Garlic Parmesan Orzo with Crispy Bacon

byby :Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

ServesServes 6 servings

Easy, flavorful spinach garlic parmesan orzo pasta with crispy bacon and gorgeous veggies like red bell pepper, zucchini, and spinach. This creamy garlic parmesan orzo recipe comes together in one pan, is the perfect meal prep dinner, and is delicious hot or cold!

Ingredients

• 10 slices uncooked thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
• ½ cup shredded or diced carrots (from 1 medium carrot)
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered
• ¾ cup frozen or fresh sweet corn
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12 ounces uncooked orzo pasta (about 2 cups dry orzo)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
• ¾ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 small lemon
• 2 to 3 tablespoons hot honey

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

• Cook the bacon: Place a large oven-safe skillet or 3.5 qt braiser over medium heat. Add the bacon, stirring occasionally and cook until crispy and golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Once bacon is done, transfer it to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.While the bacon cooks, you can chop your veggies.

• Carefully drain the bacon grease (I transfer it to a medium bowl then set aside).

• Cook the veggies: In the same pan, warm 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease over medium heat. Add the add in the onion, bell pepper, carrot, and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are slightly tender, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds.

• Add orzo and broth: Stir in the orzo and toast in the pan for 1 minute, stirring frequently, to develop flavor. Stir in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat.

• Bake: Cover and bake undisturbed until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and stir in the parmesan and spinach until the spinach wilts and cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Top with lemon zest and lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as necessary.

• Top with bacon pieces and a drizzle of hot honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like to add A LOT of black pepper into this dish — it just gives it a really nice flavor! If you think it needs a little extra parmesan cheese, feel free to stir in ¼ cup more. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

To swap the bacon: you can easily use 4 chicken sausages instead; just slice into rounds, saute in a pan, then stir into pasta like you would the bacon.
To make vegetarian: I think a can of rinsed and drained white beans or even roasted, crunchy chickpeas would be a really nice option.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (based on 6)Calories: 473calCarbohydrates: 50.4gProtein: 21gFat: 22.7gSaturated Fat: 8.8gFiber: 8.6gSugar: 12.4g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on March 26, 2019, republished on September 1st, 2021, republished on April 12th, 2023, and republished on May 26th, 2026, with updated ingredients and instructions to bake in the oven.