Reviewed: Jul. 11, 2006

This was a good and simple recipe and has potential to make for a very colorful presentation but I needed to adjust the cooking times. Maybe it was the pan I used, but after 10 minutes of simmering, my orzo was not done but the liquid was gone. So I added about 1/4 cup more broth and simmered for another 6 minutes. That overcooked the shredded vegetables so next time I make this--and there definitely will be a next time--I will plan to simmer for 15 minutes with extra broth, but not add the veggies until there's about 8 minutes left. That will leave the dish fresh and colorful. It also needed salt and pepper with the thyme.

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47 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

LCURT

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Santa Barbara, California, USA

Living In: Elk Grove, California, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 30, 2008

Outstanding! Can I give this recipe 6 stars??? We had this with dinner last night and absolutely LOVED it! The only thing I added was a couple of squeezes of lemon juice from the lemon I had zested. Not only is this dish yummy, but it's also quite healthy. Thank you and thank you twice for submitting this one! I will be making it again and again!

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35 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Renee Ridgeway

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Reviewed: Sep. 18, 2009

This was colorful, I'll give it that - and certainly nutritious too, given the addition of the carrots and zucchini. As for flavor, however, if it wasn't for the lemon flavor there wouldn't be much flavor at all.

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33 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

naples34102

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Living In: Mequon, Wisconsin, USA

Reviewed: Jun. 26, 2007

This was a delicious recipe. I used chicken broth for the liquid and 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme, as well as ground pepper. As others suggested, I added chopped carrot and zucchini to the orzo with about 8 minutes left in the cooking time. I found the 14 ounces of liquid was enough, as the chopped veggies created enough extra liquid for the pasta to cook and the veggies were tender, not at all soggy. I left the top on the pot - which helped retain adequate liquid to cook the orzo.

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25 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Barb A.

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Reviewed: Oct. 1, 2007

This meal makes a wonderful light lunch or side dish! We were really impressed. To accompany the lemon zest I added two tablespoons of juice from the same lemon, and the flavours blended really well. Slightly tangy, but delicious. Next time I will increase the amount of carrot and zucchini, and possibly make the additions of eggplant and onion to make it even better.

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18 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

CHELS

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

Living In: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Reviewed: Mar. 30, 2009

DEE-LICIOUS! This is great! I went ahead and toasted the orzo in oil for two minutes and then I added just the veggie broth. I used a 14 oz. can plus a tad from another can in fear the liquid would all be absorbed. I cooked like this for 7 minutes. After the 7 minutes I added everthing else and cooked for 8 more minutes. This was just scrumtious. I served with "Grilled Lemon Chicken" from AR. What a combo! Thanks for sharing :-)

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14 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

Heather

Cooking Level: Beginning

Reviewed: Jan. 12, 2007

I HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AS THE OTHER REVIEWER. ORZO NOT COOKED; LIQUID GONE. ADDED MORE LIQUID AND COOKED LONGER AND VEGGIES WERE OVERDONE. BUT STILL DELISH. JUST FOLLOW HER ADVICE. MORE LIQUID AND COOKING TIME AND DON'T ADD VEGGIES TILL ALMOST COOKED. I DIDN'T HAVE ANY ZUCCHINI SO I USED FROZEN PEAS. I THINK CHOPPING THE VEGGIES INSTEAD OF SHREDDING WOULD BE BETTER AS FAR AS TEXTURE GOES BUT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE AS PRETTY.

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12 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

EM4BERN

Reviewed: Jun. 18, 2006

YUM! This turned out way better than I expected and received full compliments from hubby. It tastes just as good using lime as it does lemon. I didnt have any veg broth (island life!) and thus made my own; I used some stock and a little asparagus condensed soup as the base, and then added a tin of "salad vegetables" (baby carrots, beans and peas etc) all mashed up. Turned out a treat. Will make again. Cheers!

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10 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

lime pickle

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Bath, Somerset, England, U.K.

Living In: Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Reviewed: Apr. 26, 2006

This was very, very good "LitleLisa1"! I used the juice of a lemon instead of the zest only because my kids aren't crazy about zest. I made another side from this site which called for pine nuts, for which I subbed with sunflower seeds and I mistakingly placed them in this dish instead. No matter, they added a nice crunch and this recipe was a success and loved by all. Thanks so much!

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9 users found this review helpful

Reviewer:

LINDA MCLEAN

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Lexington, Kentucky, USA

Reviewed: May 5, 2006

The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to make. When I added the zucchini and carrot to the pot I thought it looked like way too much but the orzo plumps up quite a bit when you cook it, and the proportions turned out just right. This is a nice side dish, but it was slightly bland. Not a show-stopper but I would make it again.

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8 users found this review helpful