Lemony Orzo With Asparagus and Garlic Bread Crumbs Recipe (2024)

Maybe I’m stoned but this was incredible. Added some mushrooms too.

We loved this! I sautéed the asparagus in olive oil, salt, and pepper and a tad bit of the minced garlic. I just prefer this way of preparing asparagus rather than boiling. I used a very large lemon, which produced lots of zest, and I felt it was needed. I only had a bit of fresh parsley, so that was all I used and it was still good. Be generous with the salt and fresh ground pepper. I would use a large garlic clove. Also sprinkled on feta and fresh tomatoes with extra lemon squeeze. Yum!!

We loved this! Only complaint was not enough, because we like pasta/veg mixtures to be the whole meal deal. and we added more lemon and garlic. Notes for next time: double everything, quadruple garlic. Lemon wedges on the table

Yes, double/quadruple everything! 1 cup orzo not enough for 1 lb asparagus, plus desired add-ins. As a shortcut, make 'dressing' ahead using all 5 TBSP oil, mashed garlic, lemon juice/zest & desired seasoning. Remove 2 TBSP oil & sauté asparagus (& add-ins if desired...I used mushrooms) for few min, leaving hot pan on to quickly crisp bread crumbs. Toss together veggies, orzo, spices & remaining 3 TBSP oil then top with cheese & bread crumbs. Amazing!

This was surprisingly really good for how simple it is. Cements my opinion that orzo is the best pasta, it soaks up all that lemony dressing soooo well. I boiled the asparagus because I'm depressed and that's all I deserve.

This was excellent. Thank God for Panko! Used Italian parsley, since I was using that also for the main course. Mint would have made this even more awesome. The asparagus was very tender. Did the asparagus the day before. Paired this with Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Olives (also from NYT Cooking). What a superb meal.Be careful with the orzo and test it to make sure it is at the al dente stage, rather than relying on just time.

It's always nice to find a new NYT recipe and quickly realize that you have all the ingredients! Made it exactly as printed - with lots of dill, and tried not to eat too much of it. Goes nicely with a white wine spritzer on a warm NYC evening.

Agree with other comments that orzo doesn't need as much time as the box suggests. 7 minutes (putting the asparagus in after 5) seemed to work.

I made this with vegetable broth-cooked farro instead of orzo since I had that on hand. I also opted to saute the asparagus (plus a yellow squash I needed to use) with onion and garlic. Definitely dug the combo of mint, dill and parsley. Topped with kalamata olives and a bit of feta. Delicious!

Comments:Don't cook orzo more than 7minutesDouble/quadruple everything! 1 cup orzo not enough for 1 lb asparagus, plus desired add-ins. As a shortcut, make 'dressing' ahead using all 5 TBSP oil, mashed garlic, lemon juice/zest & desired seasoning. Remove 2 TBSP oil & sauté asparagus (& add-ins if desired) for few min, leaving hot pan on to quickly crisp bread crumbs. Toss together veggies, orzo, spices & remaining 3 TBSP oil then top with cheese & bread crumbs.

This needed something... more garlic, more salt, more lemon, maybe broth? Something missing. I used Italian parsely, boiled the asparagus, used panko. Panko gave a nice crunch. Paired with baked salmon. No one was over the moon on it.Maybe... kalamata olives?

Like someone else said - this is definitely missing something. I added tomatoes, extra panko, another lemon, more oil, more salt... it's still missing something. I added green onions too - don't do that, it's not missing onions at all haha

So this is a delicious dish that I’ve made several times, but I’ve found that adding an extra salty, umami flavor to it really makes everything pop. If you’re not strictly vegetarian, I recommend chicken Better Than Bouillon or a couple dashes of fish sauce. You can add it right into the dressing.

I substituted crushed ritz crackers for the breadcrumbs. Super yummy!

Halved the recipe, and followed it. Delicious! Boiled the asparagus - which was fine - because I was stressed and it was easiest. Next time I'll sautee asparagus, but the lightly boiled was just fine. Used my homemade focaccia for the breadcrumbs (put in the nutrabullet) with the garlic. Used parmesan & mint. Really liked the crunch from the breadcrumbs. Easy Peasy, and had an all-in-one side for my simply grilled seafood. Tasty & Easy = Winner.

I took advice of others and cooked orzo for 5 min and put the asparagus in for two. This is a delightful and flavorful and will be a regular in my rotation. I will try other veggies in this and this summer will make it to serve cold and throw in some cherry tomatoes.

I added 1lb ground turkey for protein. Increased/guessed at the olive oil/lemon combo. Generous with the pepper

Winner of a recipe! Definitely use the tenderest, most slender asparagus you can find.

This recipe takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. I followed the recipe and added some frozen peas. I toasted panko in a separate fry pan while the water was boiling for pasta, just to speed up the process. Great base recipe that you can tweak. You couls use feta instead of parmesan, other greens like broad beans or even broccoli, add some chilli. Simple and satisfying.

I am with the other cooks here who felt it needed more oomph. I had plenty of parsley but no fresh mint and I suspect that mint would have helped, along with more aggressive use of Parmesan, lemon and garlic. Definitely add some pepper flakes to the dressing.

Agree a it more lemon and garlic, used only half pound asparagus.

Added Prosciutto to this and dumped more Parmesan on top. Delicious. Asparagus turned out better than expected. Didn't have fresh lemon, so, added more lemon juice.

This was soooooooooo delicious! I used Italian parsley, dill and some basil because I didn't have mint and the dish was delightful! Enjoyed this for dinner with a small side salad and some toasted rosemary bread.

Fantastic as written. If you accidentally add the garlic to the dressing, it’s all good.

Outstanding. Added shrimp (sauteed first and kept aside) and used the same pan for the bread crumb browning. Taking a cue from others, added about 1/2 tsp of anchovy paste to the dressing for a bit of umami as well as using a bit more garlic, both in the dressing and in the bread crumbs. Otherwise exactly as written. On this frigid, howling, windy night in Maine, we could feel spring coming.

No asparagus on hand, so I switched out for frozen peas and corn. Next time I'll add sausages. I think there needs to be more direction on the breadcrumbs.... didn't make sense to add it on top of the cheese on top as a condiment - same color, didn't add anything to it...

Also added nutrional yeast for some umami boost. No lemon juice either so subbed with basalmic vinegar. Perfect same but different pasta combination.

Don’t double orzo. Don’t add extra lemon zest and juice. Would be great w/ bits of goat cheese… Maybe don’t cut asparagus as small-try 1/2”—1” pieces. Do add extra herbs!

Made this for a Saturday lunch and it was a huge hit. I added anchovy paste and garlic to the breadcrumbs as I toasted them on the stovetop. Also added 1/2 teaspoon of Bottarga to the lemon juice / zest. Got raves.

Love, love, love this recipe. I have made it with vegan cheese (Violife brand) and it was still delicious.