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Home » Instant Pot Recipes » Pasta

Instant Pot Orzo With Lemon, Parmesan & Spinach

Published: Feb 23, 2020 · Modified: Jan 10, 2024 by Irena Macri · This post may contain affiliate links · 21 Comments

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Learn how to make Instant Pot Orzo with lemon, Parmesan cheese and spinach for a perfect, hearty side dish or main. This lemony, cheesy orzo recipe only takes 20-25 minutes from start to finish and is vegetarian-friendly.


Instant Pot Orzo With Parmesan, Lemon & Spinach

What Is Orzo?

Also known as risoni, orzo is basically rice-shaped pasta. Orzo is usually made from white flour or durum wheat semolina but can also be made with whole-grain flour and it looks like long-grain rice kernels. We often hear the question 'Is orzo gluten-free?' and the short answer is it usually is NOT, however, there are some brands that now make gluten-free orzo or risoni.

Orzo tastes more like pasta than rice but has a very pleasant, rice-like texture. It is more smooth and should be cooked al dente (a little bouncy and a touch firm to bite). Orzo is great as a side dish and is often used as a base for salads, bakes and soups. 

Is orzo healthy? Well, it has the same nutritional properties to regular pasta. It's a rich source of carbohydrates, fibre (if cooked al dente!) and some protein.  It's low in fat and is a good source of iron.

Cheezy Orzo Instant Pot Recipe Close Up

How To Cook Instant Pot Orzo

You can use our method as a template for cooking orzo dishes. The simplest way to cook orzo is in water and stock with a little salt and olive oil. Unlike rice, the ratio of water to orzo is slightly different from rice. For each cup of orzo, you need 1.5-2 cups of liquid (1:1.5-2). 

Orzo can be cooked on Manual/Pressure Cook setting on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes with quick release. This will give you nice, al dente orzo texture.

 

For our recipe, we sauteed some onions in butter and added lemon zest and pepper for simple yet tasty flavours. We love cheezy orzo, so we finished this dish with a generous amount of grated Parmesan cheese and baby spinach for extra nutrients.

You can add carrots, celery or mushrooms or tinned tomatoes to cooking orzo; or, finish it with cherry tomatoes, capers, fresh herbs, feta, olives or whatever you have on hand. Orzo is a great canvas for creating something unique and special.

Cooking orzo in Instant Pot - spoon with creamy orzo

Substitute for orzo: if you want to create this dish without orzo, you can use long-grain rice (same cooking time) or another type of short-cut pasta.

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Instant Pot lemon parmesan spinach Orzo Recipe

Rate This Recipe

4.58 from 7 votes

Instant Pot Orzo With Lemon, Parmesan & Spinach

Quick and easy Instant Pot orzo with Parmesan, lemon, and baby spinach. You can serve this dish as a main or a side dish. It's vegetarian-friendly (check the cheese you're using) and can be adapted to use up other ingredients you have on hand.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time12 minutes mins
Total Time27 minutes mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 389kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 oz. butter 25 g
  • 1 medium onion finely diced
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1.5 cup orzo we use this orzo pasta brand
  • 2.5 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 90 g / 3 oz.
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 cups baby spinach 2 handfuls, chopped
  • Parsley and extra grated cheese to garnish

Instructions

  • Turn the Instant Pot and set to Saute function. Once hot, add the butter, onions and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes to soften.
  • Add the lemon zest, pepepr and orzo and stir through. Press the Cancel button to stop the Sauteeing.
  • Add the stock, stir through and pop the lid on top. Lock the lid, making sure the top valve is poting to Sealing. Set the Instant Pot to Manula/Pressure Cook, HIGH pressure for 5 minutes for al dente orzo.  The pressurizing should take about 5-7 minutes and the timer will kick in.
  • Once the timer ends, use the quick release method to let off the pressure (simply point the top valve to Venting). Don't leave the Instant Pot to release naturally (5 minutes max) as the orzo will continue to cook and will get too soft or too dry.
  • Open the lid and add the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and chopped spinach. Stir through well until the cheese has melted into the orzo. Serve right away while hot.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 1087mg | Potassium: 307mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2115IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 257mg | Iron: 1mg
CourseMain
CuisineItalian
KeywordCheesy, Dinner, Instant Pot Orzo, Lemon, Orzo
Made this recipe?Mention @instantpoteats or tag #instantpoteats!

SAVE THIS INSTANT POT ORZO RECIPE TO PINTEREST

Instant Pot Orzo With Parmesan, Lemon & Spinach - Pinterest

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie

    July 10, 2023 at 11:25 pm

    I have done this recipe 2 or 3 times and every time I get a burn warning. I even deglazed before putting the lid on. Is anyone else experiencing this or am I doing something wrong?

    Reply
    • Instant Pot Eats

      July 12, 2023 at 12:17 am

      What model do you have 6 or 8 quarts?

      Reply
      • Stephanie

        July 13, 2023 at 1:08 am

        I am using a 6 qt. Instant Pot Duo Nova.

        Reply
  2. Ashley F

    February 1, 2023 at 3:22 am

    Can this be made in a 6qt?

    Reply
    • Instant Pot Eats

      February 8, 2023 at 11:46 pm

      Yes, that's what we used.

      Reply
  3. Ingrid

    October 25, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    I got my first instant pot only two weeks ago. I was looking for instant pot recipes on Pinterest and came across this recipe the other day. I made it today and we all loved it! I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
    • Instant Pot Eats

      October 26, 2022 at 7:04 pm

      Thanks, Ingrid. Hope we can inspire you with more recipes 🙂

      Reply
  4. Maureen

    March 18, 2022 at 1:37 am

    I make a lot of Instant Pot recipes. This one moves to the top of my list. It was a hit with everyone who tried it. I stuck to the recipe except I used chicken broth rather than vegetable. I prefer softer orzo so I cooked it for 7 minutes and then did quick release. Fabulous.

    Reply
    • Ann Fabrizio

      March 20, 2022 at 8:46 pm

      Happy it was a hit and glad you customized it to your preferences.

      Reply
  5. Judy blue

    September 15, 2021 at 5:25 am

    Can I use my rice cooker.? I have an instant pot coming soon. We are in a motorhome and I use my ice cooker so that’s why I am asking. Thank you

    Reply
    • Instant Pot Eats

      September 20, 2021 at 4:55 am

      Hey Judy, I am not really sure about the rice cooker. In theory you could but I wouldn't know about timings or amount of liquid needed.

      Reply
  6. Aubrey Salazar

    January 19, 2021 at 7:46 pm

    Accidentally picked up grated parm instead of shredded. Replaced onions with carrots, and celery. Replaced vegetable stock with plain water.

    Turned out really good. It did change what I believe are ingredients which are intentionally delicious when thrown together - spinach, lemon, pepper, and parmesan.

    Mine turned out to be more of a veggie orzo with cheese (still yummy!).

    Thanks for this recipe.

    Reply
    • Instant Pot Eats

      January 20, 2021 at 11:48 pm

      Thanks, Aubrey. You can absolutely swap out the veggies, this is a great template recipe that you are welcome to adapt. Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  7. Donna E

    November 17, 2020 at 11:37 pm

    I made this tonight & it was really good! I cut back on the cheese though. It also was a bit too al dente for us, so I cooked it a little bit longer & it was perfect. Will definitely be putting this one into the rotation

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      November 22, 2020 at 6:07 am

      Thanks Donna, glad you made it work for your taste buds 🙂

      Reply
  8. Terri Wolfrom

    June 3, 2020 at 11:19 pm

    I would like to give it a higher rating, because it did turn out to be amazing... but I made too many substitutions and additions. I replaced lemon ingredients with orange. Added lots of garlic and used chicken stock and orange juice for the liquid. I added more lots more veggies... carrots & celery & petite frozen peas. I used Romano cheese and cut the amount in half. In reviewing recipes, I always note the accuracy of the cook time... this was spot on! Once it was done, it seemed creamy and flavorful... almost looking me risotto!

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      June 6, 2020 at 11:23 pm

      Thanks, Terri. Glad you enjoyed this recipe and your own modifications sound delicious, too.

      Reply
  9. WSGRunner

    April 11, 2020 at 3:13 am

    Yum! So easy to make and tasty!

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      April 11, 2020 at 8:00 am

      Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  10. Simone Edwards

    February 28, 2020 at 7:57 am

    I love this! So easy and so delicious. I only had a couple of blocks of frozen spinach so used those and cooked for 9 mins. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • instantpoteats

      February 28, 2020 at 12:54 pm

      Thanks, and it's a great idea to use frozen spinach. Good to know how long you cooked it for.

      Reply

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