Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs and Creamy Orzo.

Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs and Creamy Orzo. Quick, easy, colorful, and delicious! Baked chicken meatballs with roasted lemon, cooked together with orzo pasta and baby spinach, then finished with melty cheese. This tasty dish is all made in one pan without even having to boil any water. Simply mix, bake, eat, and enjoy!

And we’re back with yet another one-pan dinner. I’m loving these easy all-in-one recipes this month. Fortunately, they’ve been turning out so delicious!

It’s been busy over here, and long days mean my time in the kitchen is limited. I was just saying on a call today that I always keep things like this in mind when creating recipes. Of course, that should go without saying that they also need to be incredibly yummy. My intention is for my recipes to be approachable, easy, and so delicious…while also looking pretty!

It’s the combo that makes a recipe worthy of saving!

And these cheesy, garlic meatballs fit the description to a T.

My mom mentioned that meatballs sounded really delicious with all the snowy weather and cold temperatures we’ve been having. I thought about sharing another crockpot meatball, but then I had the thought to test out baked meatballs with orzo.

I’ve been enjoying my all-in-one baked dishes so much, so I was curious to test this one out. It’s ended up working out wonderfully and turned into a recipe that everyone has really been enjoying!

Ingredients

• ground chicken, ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey
• dijon mustard
• shallot, chopped
• garlic powder or a few chopped cloves garlic
• Italian seasoning
• dried rosemary
• smoked paprika
• kosher salt and black pepper
• grated parmesan cheese or ricotta cheese
• extra virgin olive oil
• chopped lemon peel
• chopped fresh dill
• chili flakes
• dry orzo pasta
• dry white wine
• heavy cream or canned full fat coconut milk
• baby spinach, chopped
• shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese

Kitchenware needed

• large cast iron skillet or large dutch oven
• medium mixing bowl, large mixing bowl
• 9×13 inch baking dish
• serving dishes / serving platter

These are the details

Step 1: pre-heat the conventional oven and make the meatballs

I love to use ground chicken or pork for this recipe. Sometimes I’ll mix the chicken and pork if I have both on hand.

Then, add the seasonings to the meat mixture: dijon, shallots, garlic, rosemary and smoked paprika. Then mix in parmesan cheese as well.

Mix everything together and roll it into 2-inch balls. Then, place the meatballs in a baking dish with a little olive oil, chopped lemon peel, dill, and chili flakes. Make sure you have paper towels on hand for clean-up!

Step 2: bake the meatballs

Now, bake the meatballs until they start getting crisp on top.

I like to give them a head start on cooking before adding the orzo. I think this helps them form a nice shape and develop even more flavor!

Step 3: add the orzo

Next, mix the orzo with the oil and meatballs in the baking dish. Add water and wine, and then spinach on top.

No need to boil the orzo. As everything bakes together, the orzo will soak up the water and become perfectly cooked. It’s such a simple way to cook orzo pasta!

Step 4: add the cheese

Pull the dish out, add a touch of cream, then top with either mozzarella or provolone cheese, then bake again until the cheese is all melty and bubbling up.

It’s going to smell so delicious with the lemon and rosemary, and then all that cheese on top! YUM.

Step 5: serve!

Serve the lemon meatballs over the creamy, cheesy orzo. Then I like to add fresh greens and chili flakes on top.

Simple and quick, with very little clean-up, and minimal hands-on time too.

You can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it would be equally great for a small dinner party with friends. Everyone loves this meatball and pasta dinner. Bon apetit!

Looking for other easy weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites.

Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon.

Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo

Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch

Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta

Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf

Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese

Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo

Lastly, if you make this Baked Lemon Rosemary Chicken Meatballs and Creamy Orzo, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!