The Weeknight Kitchen · One-Pot Dump Dinner · Serves 4

Garlic Butter
Shrimp & Orzo

Name: Garlic Butter Shrimp & Orzo
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 45 g unsalted butter; 12 g garlic; 250 g orzo; 540 ml chicken or vegetable stock; ¼ tsp red pepper flakes; 454 g frozen raw shrimp; 150 g cherry tomatoes; 60 g baby spinach; 40 g Parmigiano-Reggiano; Zest and juice of 1 lemon, and chopped parsley, to finish; 3 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Bright, lemony, and buttery — orzo simmers in stock with garlic, then frozen shrimp, spinach, and a glossy butter-and-parmesan finish go in at the end. One pot, Instant Pot or stovetop.

~25 min total Instant Pot / stovetop method One pot cleanup

Spoon cost

Time ●○○○○ Anytime

Instant Pot

Servingsamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

Add the shrimp frozen at the end, and go easy on the Instant Pot pressure release. The orzo cooks first; the frozen shrimp go in only after, cooking 4–6 minutes in the hot orzo until pink and curled into a loose C. Orzo is starchy and foams under pressure, so in the Instant Pot release the steam in short bursts (not one long blast) to avoid spitting, and keep the stovetop version stirred so it doesn't stick. Finish off the heat with cold butter, lemon, and parmesan for a glossy, risotto-like sauce.

Easier, if you like

Skip the toast if you're in a hurry — orzo doesn't strictly need toasting; it just adds a nutty depth.
Bagged baby spinach and a tub of pre-crumbled parmesan make this a genuinely dump-and-go dinner.

Method

Cook's notes

Buy raw, not pre-cooked shrimp so they cook in the orzo and stay juicy. Pre-cooked? Stir them in off the heat at the very end just to warm through.

Orzo foams in the Instant Pot. It's starchy, so release the pressure in short bursts and keep the vent clear; if you're nervous, a 5-minute natural release before venting settles it down.

Lemon and cold butter at the end are what make it taste like a restaurant — the acid brightens the richness and the cold butter emulsifies into a glossy sauce. Don't add them over the heat.

It thickens as it sits (orzo keeps drinking liquid) — loosen leftovers with a splash of water or stock when you reheat.

Swap the greens: spinach wilts in instantly, but chopped kale, peas, or asparagus all work; add sturdier greens with the shrimp.

More frozen-shrimp dinners: smoky Cajun Shrimp & Sausage Rice, a festive Cajun Shrimp Boil, or the coconut Goan Shrimp Curry.

How to make it gluten-free or dairy-free

Gluten-free: use a gluten-free orzo (rice- or corn-based, such as Barilla Gluten Free or a cauliflower orzo) — the liquid may need slight adjusting, so go by tenderness.

Dairy-free: use olive oil or plant butter and skip the parmesan (or use a vegan one); the lemon and garlic still carry it.