
For years, I’ve bought snap peas, but we’ve always eaten them raw. I’ve never cooked them before now. I was so impressed with them in this dish. I had no idea what I was missing.
I’ll be making this repeatedly with all of our fresh vegetables. I loved the simple flavors here in the dish. It was very light and lemony and perfect for a summer night.
I added some diced chicken when I made this and it was a great one dish dinner. I can imagine making just the orzo with vegetables for a side dish or even a vegetarian dinner as well.

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Lemon Orzo with Snap Peas and Zucchini
Recipe adapted from Everyday Food by Martha StewartSavePinPrintReview
Ingredients
- ▢8 ounces orzo
- ▢16 ounces sugar snap peas ends trimmed and halved crosswise
- ▢2 small zucchini thinly sliced, approximately 1/8″ thick
- ▢3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ▢2 tablespoons light olive oil
- ▢2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese finely grated
- ▢Kosher salt and fresh pepper
- ▢Optional: 2 cups cooked chicken warmed
Instructions
- Prepare all of the vegetables prior to starting the orzo. Cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Add the peas and squash. Cook until the orzo is al dente and the vegetables are still crisp tender, about 3 minutes. The vegetables will continue to cook for a few minutes after they are removed from the water. Use care not to overcook them. Drain well and return to the pot. If you are adding chicken, do so now.
- Add the lemon juice, olive oil and cheese. Season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
