One Pot Garlic Butter Shrimp and Orzo.
This one pot shrimp orzo is so ridiculously delish!

If you can’t tell, I’m having a little moment with shrimp and butter and lemon. I mean, at least it’s a delicious moment?
This is weeknight dinner gold. I love a meal that can be thrown together in a few minutes and tastes like absolute heaven. When I make this, we cannot stop eating it. Every bite is more incredible than the last.
Why is orzo just oh-so good?! Sure, it’s like rice, but even better.
I love how it sticks to whatever you toss it with, in a good way. It makes a dish more satisfying too. Plus, it soaks up all the wonderful flavors in the pot.
Let’s make it tonight!
I toss the shrimp with some olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper and garlic. Crushed red pepper flakes too! Just give it a bit of flavor.
Then, the best part? Toasting the orzo in butter. Almost as if it’s arborio rice and you’re making risotto. Let it get a little toasty and golden. At the same time, the butter will brown too. THIS IS WHERE THE FLAVOR IS AT!
All the garlic butter feels start here. I’m all about layering flavor from the bottom up. The garlic butter is fragrant and wonderful and then the toasty orzo gives it even more of a nutty flavor. It’s perfect!
The only thing left to do is add the stock, cover the pot and let it go. About 20 minutes later, dinner is ready!
The beauty in this dish is that both the orzo and shrimp cook quickly. It tastes more flavorful than it looks, which is wild since there are only about ten ingredients in the entire dish.
This isn’t an overly complicated dish and it’s certainly not anything groundbreaking. But it’s just one of those recipes that is darn good. Easy but shockingly good. Everyone loves it and you may be tempted to make a double batch. Leftovers are fantastic. It’s simple enough that you can throw a roasted vegetable in the oven if you wish. The best kind of recipe!
Easy enough to throw on the menu tonight!
One Pot Shrimp and Orzo

One Pot Garlic Butter Shrimp and Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced and freshly zested
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ¼ cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- lemon wedges, for spritzing
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the shrimp with the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, garlic, red pepper flakes and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet (I like a 12 inch) over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the orzo. Cook, stirring often, until the orzo is slightly golden and toasty. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce it to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook until the orzo absorbs the water and is fluffed up, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Add in the shrimp to the orzo and stir. Cover the pot again and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until the shrimp is pink, opaque and cooked through.
- Sprinkle with fresh parsley and a spritz of lemon. I like to stir in another 1 to 2 tablespoons of melted butter for optimal flavor, but this is up to you. Serve immediately!
Notes
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Golden, toasty, buttery, garlicky wonderfulness.










113 Comments on “One Pot Garlic Butter Shrimp and Orzo.”
This is very easy and delicious. My family loves shrimp and this is perfect for a night you forgot to take something out.
This is so yummy … had to go back for seconds, which I never do!
The only change was to add one sweet onion, diced when toasting the orzo. Simple addition that really made it ROCK!
It was a big hit with my very picky husband. I added spinach at the end to get some veggies in there.
Can we talk about the garlic instruction? Add to shrimp marinade. And then add garlic to orzo until golden brown?! All the garlic just went into the shrimp marinade !! Update the instructions… with half in marinade and half for saute.
So good! Increased the ingredients to feed 7,l adults, using full pound of orzo and 1 quart broth. Increased remaining ingredients proportionately. Whole family loved it.
So good! Increased the ingredients to feed 7,l adults, using full pound of orzo and 1 quart broth. Increased remaining ingredients proportionately. Whole family loved it. Added spinach as another suggested. Great idea!