Looking for something to make with that ground turkey in your refrigerator? Well you’re in the right place. This creamy lemon pepper ground turkey and broccoli orzo is a simple one-pan recipe that’s packed with 32 grams of filling protein per serving.
How to Make Creamy Ground Turkey and Broccoli Orzo
You’ll find a visual recipe walkthrough in the post below, and a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post. If you skip down and have an ingredient substitution or recipe question, it’s probably answered between here and there.
1. Sauté broccoli in olive oil for 5-6 minutes until vibrant green and slightly charred.
This recipe starts out just like my honey sriracha chicken and broccoli, with lightly pan charred broccoli florets. Cut the broccoli florets into small pieces for the best eating experience and a faster cook time.
Set the broccoli aside until the very end.
For an alternative veggie check out my ground turkey and mushroom orzo recipe, which uses brown butter sage mushrooms instead of broccoli, my ground turkey and brussels sprouts skillet, or my Italian chicken and zucchini with its parmesan roasted zucchini.
2. Brown and fully cook ground turkey and toast orzo in the pan for 1-2 minutes.
Orzo may look like rice, but it’s actually pasta. Toasting it before adding liquid gives it a nutty flavor that goes perfectly with this creamy lemon pepper sauce.
If you don’t have orzo, you could swap it for instant rice or a higher protein option like Right Rice. Check out my Greek ground chicken skillet or Thai curry ground chicken and Right Rice for two examples. You could also use another pasta like the chickpea pasta in my one-pan cheeseburger pasta.
Other rice and pasta options should have similar cook times to the orzo.
3. Add lemon pepper seasoning, dijon mustard, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the recipe calls for two and a half cups of chicken broth, you may need slightly more or less depending on the size of your pan. You’re looking to fully cook the orzo while reducing the liquid in 8-10 minutes.
If the orzo isn’t fully cooked before the liquid is absorbed by the ground turkey and lost to evaporation, add more and continue cooking.
It’s also worth mentioning, other rice and pasta options may require slight adjustments to liquid and cook times. But don’t stress, this recipe is nearly impossible to mess up.
If you have a little too much liquid left in the pan or pot, reduce the milk in the next step. The butter and parmesan will thicken everything.
4. Reduce the heat and stir in butter, milk, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.
In that order. Be sure the butter is fully melted and incorporated before adding the milk. Once the milk is incorporated, add the parmesan. This should prevent any clumps.
You can also add a handful or two of chopped parsley here, but that’s totally optional.
Note: For an extra cheesy sauce, check out the lemon ricotta sauce from my Italian ground turkey soup and creamy broccoli and ground turkey pasta recipes.
5. Add the broccoli to the ground turkey and orzo.
Ah, there’s our cruciferous friend. Stir everything together and you have something resembling ground turkey and broccoli rice casserole, but with a hearty pasta twist.
I serve this with fresh black pepper and parmesan, a teaspoon or two of Calabrian chili oil, and a tiny drizzle of quality olive oil. You could also throw some mozzarella or another cheese on top and pop the entire pan under the broiler for an extra cheesy situation.
And that’s a wrap. Enjoy your creamy ground turkey and broccoli orzo!
More Kinda Healthy Ground Turkey Recipes
- Healthy Bolognese with Ground Turkey
- Korean Ground Turkey and Cucumber Kimchi
- Pesto Cauliflower and Ground Turkey Skillet
- Turkey Breakfast Sausage Skillet
- Chili Crunch Ground Turkey and Green Beans
One Pan Ground Turkey and Broccoli Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Turkey, 99/1
- 12 oz Broccoli Florets, cut into small pieces
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon 24g Olive Oil, divided
- 1 1/3 cup 220g Orzo
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 1/4 cup 60g Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons 30g Dijon Mustard
- 2 1/2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
For Finishing
- 1 cup Skim Milk
- 1 oz Unsalted Butter
- 2 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Add the broccoli and toss in the oil. Pan roast until the broccoli turns dark green and is slightly charred in places, about 5-6 minutes. Set aside.
- Add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and the ground turkey. Brown one side for 3-4 minutes before breaking apart and fully cooking.
- Once cooked, push to one side of the pan and add the orzo. Toast for 1-2 minutes until golden before adding the lemon pepper seasoning, lemon juice, dijon, and chicken broth. Stir everything together, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes, until the broth is absorbed.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter, milk, and freshly grated parmesan. Add the roasted broccoli and stir everything together.
- Serve with freshly grated black pepper and parmesan, chili flakes, a drizzle of olive oil or Calabrian chili oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Woah. Second MasonFit meal of the day (following pancakes) after my gym put me onto your site. 🙂
This one tastes WAY more decadent than the macros indicate.
I ended up doing 1.5lbs of ground turkey because that’s how Costco packaged it, so I increased the broccoli to 16oz and everything else the same. I might increase the Orzo/grains next time in a proportional amount along with a bit more broth. I did add a bit of salt to account for the extra turkey.
My family was blown away. Thank you!
(IMO, chili flakes are mandatory).
Amazing meal! So much flavor, hardly any prep work, and easy. I doubled my ground turkey and made it all dairy free. I used an almond milk, vegan butter and Trader Joe’s vegan Parmesan cheese. It turned out great! Making this again for sure!
So yummy!! My 4 kids even said it was ‘so good’! And a couple of them are not broccoli fans. 5/5 ⭐️!
This is a great recipe! The flavor is amazing! We will definitely be making again!
what type of lemon pepper seasoning do you recommend? i made this tonight with the one i had on hand and it has salt in it. it was too salty to eat and had to throw it out!
Oh no! I used Lawry’s, which has 80mg per 1/4 teaspoon or around 1,900mg for the full 2 tablespoons in this recipe.
@Mason Woodruff, I made it with the Kroger lemon pepper which has twice as much sodium as yours but also did full sodium ckx broth. It’s salty but not inedible.
I made this recently and it was really easy SO good! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I’m trying the firecracker chicken tonight!
Super easy! Personally I would do a little less lemon juice next time and a little more milk for personal preference
Made this last night as written (with unsweetened almond milk) and it is both so easy and seriously delicious! It’s not often I come across a recipe in which I don’t have to double the seasonings. Very impressed and will try others. Thanks Mason!
Quick, easy and yummy! Can’t go wrong.
Wondering what brand of lemon pepper you used?
I believe it was Lawry’s lemon pepper seasoning.