Say goodbye to a mess in the kitchen and hello to the easiest, most delicious dinner ever – my favorite one pot pasta, the Cheeseburger Orzo Skillet! This recipe is the ultimate lifesaver for busy days, delivering lots of flavor with minimal cleanup. Orzo pasta, seasoned ground turkey or beef, and cheesy perfection all mingling in a single skillet is comfort food at its finest.
INGREDIENTS
- Ground turkey or beef – I use extra lean ground turkey, but you could use beef too.
- Garlic – Minced or chopped.
- Diced tomatoes – I love fire-roasted ones in this, but regular diced tomatoes are fine too.
- Chicken broth – This is what the orzo gets cooked in. It adds flavor to the whole dish. You could also use vegetable or beef broth if you prefer.
- Orzo pasta – Orzo is a small, rice shaped pasta that works perfectly in this one pot pasta recipe.
- Shredded cheese – Cheddar, Mexican-blend and colby jack are all good on this.
Seasonings:
- Taco seasoning – if you don’t have taco seasoning, use the following mix: ½ tbsp cumin, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp onion powder
- Smoked paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
Optional Toppings:
- Shredded lettuce or spinach
- Fresh, diced tomatoes
- Chopped red onion
- Avocado
- Sour cream
- Cilantro
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
It all starts with cooking and seasoning your choice of lean ground turkey or beef. I use extra lean ground turkey, but that’s just my preference. Either choice works in this.
Cook the ground turkey or beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat, if any.
Next, add the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and taco seasoning to the pan. Mix everything together and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Add the can of diced tomatoes, chicken broth and orzo to the pan and stir. Mix well, making sure the orzo is incorporated with the liquid. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, mix the ingredients again and cover. Cook for approximately 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally (at least 2-3 times) throughout the process, so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. (If you notice that the orzo is starting to stick to the pan during any of the times you stir, go ahead and add an extra splash of broth and stir.)
Once the orzo is fully cooked, stir in the cheese and it’s ready to eat! Or, you could also add fresh veggies on top, like shredded lettuce, spinach, fresh tomatoes, red onions, avocado, cilantro or sour cream.
I have this one on heavy rotation because of how quick and easy it is. It’s also one of the very few dishes my pickiest eater will eat. Both our daughter’s enjoy this recipe, but without the veggies, of course lol.
RECIPE NOTES
Stir the Orzo: The biggest thing to remember on this one is to stir the orzo a couple times during the cooking process. It has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan once the liquid starts to absorb, so just be sure to stir it at least once or twice. If it’s sticking too much, pour another splash of broth in the pan and stir.
Easy to Customize: This recipe works great with any of your favorite veggies thrown in. Zucchini, corn, broccoli, bell peppers and onions would be great additions. You can add them to the pan, close to when the meat is fully cooked. I just push the meat to the side of the pan while the veggies cook for a minute or two. They don’t need to get too soft because they will continue cooking with the orzo.
Another way to incorporate fresh veggies is by serving them on top. My favorite toppings are fresh lettuce or spinach, tomatoes and onion. Almost like a real cheeseburger!
If you have some more picky eaters in your house though, then you can keep it super simple and skip the toppings. Without them, it’s like a yummy cheeseburger mac and cheese that both my kids enjoy.
Makes A Lot: I’m a big fan of meals that I can get two nights of dinners out of. We always have a lot of this leftover and it’s just as good the next day. Just store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If making this for just one or two people, you may want to cut the recipe in half.
If you want another delicious yet simple one pot pasta recipe, check out my One Pot Creamy Garlic Pasta with Spinach.
One Pot Cheeseburger Orzo Skillet
This One Pot Cheeseburger Orzo Skillet is a simple and delicious meal using lean ground turkey, orzo pasta and a lot of cheese for a meal the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef or turkey
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups uncooked orzo
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Optional Toppings
- shredded lettuce or spinach
- diced tomatoes
- diced red onion
- avocado
- sour cream
- squeeze of fresh lime juice
Instructions
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In a large skillet, cook ground turkey or beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain fat, if any. (I prefer to use extra lean meat, so there’s usually not much to drain.)
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Next, add the garlic, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and taco seasoning to the pan. Mix everything together.
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Add the can of diced tomatoes, chicken broth and orzo to the pan and stir. Mix well, making sure the orzo is mixed well with the liquid. Bring to a boil.
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Turn heat down to medium-low, mix ingredients again and cover. Cook for approximately 12-15 minutes, stirring about 2 times throughout the process, so the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. (If you notice that the orzo is starting to stick to the pan during any of the times you stir, just add an extra splash of broth and stir.)
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Once orzo is fully cooked, sprinkle on the cheese and mix it in. Enjoy as is, or you could add fresh toppings like shredded lettuce, spinach, fresh tomatoes, sliced onions, avocado, cilantro, sour cream or a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
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If you've made this recipe before and have a quick second to give it a rating by scrolling down below to click on the stars, I would appreciate it so much! Thank you!
Recipe Notes
This recipe does well with just about any of your favorite veggies thrown in! I love to add zucchini, fresh corn off the cob and bell peppers. However, my two little ones are extra picky these days, so I keep it simple when I’m making it for them.
This was easy and delicious! Economical too, it made a lot. Will become a staple now.
I’m so glad you liked it! I should probably add a note to my recipes warning people they make a lot. I like to make enough to have at least two nights worth, so I’m cooking less. Thanks again for your comment! I appreciate it so much.
I made this tonight and really enjoyed it. It made enough for 4 – 5 servings. During the last 2 minutes I added a can of corn. Topped it with avocado and a few dollops of sour cream in the bowl (not the pan),delicious! I could see how you could also easily add zuchinni, peppers or other veggies easily and will try to add more next time.
I’m so glad you liked it! I love adding avocado on top too. Thank you so much for sharing how you made it and the veggie suggestions. I really appreciate you taking the time to rate it, thank you!
We love this recipe. I have some picky eaters so I make it without tomatoes, and I change up the spices to be not taco related. I think I would like it with the tomatoes and the spices. Thank you for the recipe.
I’m glad everyone likes it and really glad you found some changes that work for the picky ones! Thank you so much for the rating. 🙂
Excellent recipe! I needed more chicken broth to get through orzo cooking. Delicious 😋
I sometimes need to add more too. I think I need to make a note on where to watch for where you might need to add more broth. I appreciate you mentioning that and so glad it all still came out good! Thank you so much for the rating 🙂
This was really good and I will be making again, but it definitely was not cheeseburger tasting and more of a taco dish. Which is a win-win in my book because my boys love tacos!
I can totally see that, especially since I use taco seasoning. I always put tomatoes, lettuce and onions on top of mine and I think that’s what made me think to call it a Cheeseburger dish. I’m still really glad everyone liked it!