One Pot Shrimp and Orzo with Tomatoes is an easy, filling, and flavorful dinner recipe made in just one pan. Start by cooking up some fresh grape tomatoes then add the orzo and broth. Finish by topping with the raw shrimp to finish cooking.
I love that this shrimp and orzo recipe is a meal on its own! But if you want to round out the meal, try serving it with a bread like Air Fryer Garlic Bread or No Knead Garlic Bread. Or add a veggie like Roasted Asparagus or Air Fryer Green Beans.
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⭐Why I Love It:
- One-Pot Meal: Hello, easy clean up! For other one-pot meals, try out this One Pot Cajun Rice with Sausage, One Pot French Onion Pasta, or One Pot Spinach Sausage Pasta.
- Simple Ingredients: You can find these ingredients at any grocery store. I love to use fresh tomatoes, but you can also substitute canned tomatoes.
- Fresh Yet Filling: The shrimp and tomatoes provide freshness while the orzo makes it super filling.
- Feeds a Crowd: An entire pound of orzo makes this a big dinner to feed the whole family.
🥘Ingredients
- Olive Oil - Or other cooking oil like avocado oil or canola oil.
- Garlic - Fresh is best, but minced from the jar is fine too
- Spices - Red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, pepper
- Fresh Grape Tomatoes - You can also swap in two 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes.
- Dried Orzo - You can find this in the pasta aisle! For other recipes using orzo, try this Creamy Chicken and Orzo, Lemon Shrimp Orzo, or Herbed Lemon Orzo Salad.
- Chicken Broth or Stock - You can also use water but broth or stock adds flavor.
- Raw, Large Shrimp - Peeled and deveined, tails are optional
- Fresh Basil Leaves - Fresh parsley is also a great choice!
🔪Step by Step instructions
Nothing beats a one pot recipe! Here's how to make this easy shrimp and orzo with tomatoes:
Photo 1 - Start by preheating the oven and heating a large, deep sauté pan (with a lid) over medium heat. Add the oil and cook the halved grape tomatoes with a pinch of salt until softened. Then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant.
Photo 2 - Add the orzo and broth to the pan. Stir to combine and scrape any bits from the bottom and bring to a simmer.
Photo 3 - Once simmering, cover the pan, and bake in the oven until liquid is absorbed and the orzo is al dente. While the orzo bakes, toss the shrimp with olive oil and spices. Top the cooked orzo with the shrimp in an even layer.
Photo 4 - Place pan back in the oven, uncovered, and broil on high for for a few minutes until the shrimp are cooked (opaque and pink). Sprinkle with the chopped fresh basil and serve.
💭Recipe Tips
- Check at 10 Minutes - When baking the orzo in the oven, I like to check it at 10 minutes by giving a stir to scrape the bottom. If needed, you can add a splash of water at this point if the liquid is almost absorbed but the orzo isn't quite cooked.
- Use a Large Pan - It's best to use a large pan that has surface area to make an even layer of shrimp and is deep to accommodate the shrimp and orzo.
- Watch While Broiling - Shrimp cooks quickly under broiler so watch carefully.
- Buy Pre-Peeled and Deveined Shrimp – Peeling and deveining shrimp can be time consuming, so I love buying shrimp that is already peeled and deveined. It’s up to you if you want tail on or off!
🍽Leftovers and Storage
- Storage - Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating - Although shrimp is best when it is freshly cooked, you can reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds until warmed. Don’t microwave for too long or the shrimp can become tough. I also like eating the leftovers cold out of the fridge for lunch!
👩🍳Recipe FAQs
While raw shrimp is grey and translucent, shrimp becomes pink and opaque when fully cooked. It will also start to curl into a ‘C’ shape when cooked. Shrimp cooks very quickly!
Shrimp cooks fast! The exact cook time depends on the size of the shrimp and the temperature you're cooking them at. But most large shrimp cook in 2-4 minutes (dependent on cooking temperature).
When cooking orzo in boiling water, it cooks to al dente in 7-10 minutes. If you're cooking it in simmering liquid (like in this recipe), then it will take a few minutes longer.
🍤Related Seafood Recipes...
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PrintRecipe
One Pot Shrimp and Orzo with Tomatoes
One Pot Shrimp and Orzo with Tomatoes is an easy, filling, and flavorful dinner recipe made in just one pan. Start by cooking up some fresh grape tomatoes then add the orzo and broth. Finish by topping with the raw shrimp to finish cooking.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: One Pot, Dinner, Pasta
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 lb dried orzo
- 4 cups chicken broth
- Handful of fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced or torn
Shrimp
- 2 lbs large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails optional
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat - Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cook Tomatoes - Heat a large, deep sauté pan that has a lid over medium heat. Add the oil and cook the halved grape tomatoes with a pinch of salt until softened - about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for just a minute more until fragrant.
- Add Orzo and Broth - Add the orzo and broth to the pan. Stir to combine and scrape any bits from the bottom and bring to a simmer.
- Bake Orzo - Once simmering, cover the pan, and bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed and the orzo is al dente. At 10 minutes, I like to give it a stir so nothing sticks to the bottom and you can always add a splash of water if needed.
- Prep Shrimp - While the orzo bakes, toss the shrimp with the olive oil and spices.
- Top with Shrimp - Once the orzo has absorbed the liquid and is al dente, top the cooked orzo with the shrimp in an even layer.
- Broil - Place pan back in the oven, uncovered, and broil on high for about 3 minutes until the shrimp are cooked (opaque and pink).
- Serve - Sprinkle with the chopped fresh basil and serve.
Notes
Instead of grape tomatoes, you can sub in two 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
- Calories: 493
- Sugar: 5.4 g
- Sodium: 857.2 mg
- Fat: 8.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 61.8 g
- Fiber: 3.7 g
- Protein: 42.3 g
- Cholesterol: 246.6 mg
Katie says
Love that this was a one pot meal!