Creamy Shrimp and Orzo
This Creamy Shrimp and Orzo one pot dinner takes less than 30 minutes to make but feels like a five-star meal. It's full of delicious flavors like fresh lemon zest, buttery shrimp, and creamy cheesy orzo. This dish could be equally perfect for a weekday family dinner or a special occasion date night.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 625kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds shrimp
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tbsp. oil
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 shallot minced
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup half-and-half
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ lemon juice and lemon zest
- 1 ½ cups orzo pasta
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, paprika, and mix together. Pour over raw shrimp and set to the side.
- In a large deep skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.
- Add shrimp in a single layer and cook until just pink flipping them once to ensure both sides are cooked through. Shrimp cook extremely quickly so this whole process should take less than five minutes.
- Remove shrimp to a plate to the side.
- To the same skillet, add butter and melt.
- Once melted, add minced garlic and shallot. Cook for about two minutes or until fragrant and they start to soften.
- Add chicken stock to deglaze the pan, gently scraping up any flavorful bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Bring up to a simmer before adding in dry orzo pasta.
- Reduce heat to low and cook pasta until all the liquid is absorbed and the pasta just is shy of fully cooked. This should take about 10 minutes. You will be adding half-and-half next, which will also be absorbed by the pasta to finish the cooking process.
- Add lemon zest, half-and-half, and grated Parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate. Simmer on low for 5 minutes, stirring periodically.
- Stir in chopped parsley. Serve topped with cooked shrimp and a sprinkle of fresh parsley and grated parmesan and enjoy.
Nutrition
Calories: 625kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 321mg | Sodium: 1294mg | Potassium: 859mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 739IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 325mg | Iron: 2mg