An effortless one skillet vegan recipe filled with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, chickpeas, spinach, grilled lemon slices, and of course orzo! Simple, healthy ingredients that come together quickly for a perfect weeknight meal, this Lemon Chickpea Orzo Skillet is a dish that everyone can enjoy!
So I’ll let you in on a little secret. I just bought a new cast iron braiser that I have trying to find every excuse to use. In comes this beautiful dish of Lemon Chickpea Orzo Skillet.
Whenever I talk about orzo, I immediately think mediterranean. So naturally Mediterranean came to my mind when I thought of constructing this dish with beautiful vibrant sun dried tomatoes and tangy artichoke hearts. Some spinach to add color and of course pan seared lemons to add the bright and bold flavor.
I did roast my chickpeas first to add a bit of crunch to the skillet. Everything else has such a soft texture, I just felt like I needed to mix it up a little bit. I highly recommend you not skip this step. If you’re trying to save time, there are two options. Either roast your chickpeas ahead of time or skip the roasting. But I wouldn’t skip the roasting if I were you.
Looking for more skillet recipes? Check out some of my favorites:
Sweet Potato, Black Bean, and Brown Rice Skillet
Skinny Skillet Veggie Enchiladas
How to clean your Cast Iron Skillet
Lemon Chickpea Orzo Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil from the Sun Dried Tomatoes jar
- 1 Lemon, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 c orzo
- 3 c veggie broth
- 1 8 oz jar sun dried tomato
- 1 12 oz jar marinated artichokes
- 1 c spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 c craisins
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
- 1 Tbsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line baking sheet with silicone mat.
- Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly on baking sheet and sprinkle paprika over the top.
- Bake for 25 minutes until crispy.
- Meanwhile, add the oil from the sun dried tomatoes jar to the skillet and let it heat up.
- Add in the lemon slices and sear on both sides, approximately about 5 minutes.
- Remove from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Once they are softened, add in the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
- Add in the orzo and toast for 3-5 minutes until they are golden in color.
- Add in the broth, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.
- Once the liquid has burned off, turn off heat, add in the spinach and craisins and mix well. Cover and let steam for 1-2 minutes.
- Add in the sun dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, and the roasted chickpeas.
- Mix well.
- Layer on the seared lemons.
- Serve hot.
Here are the tools I used for this recipe:
