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One Skillet Salmon with Lemon Orzo

One Skillet Salmon with Lemon Orzo is a Mediterranean one-dish bake where dry orzo soaks up tomato-olive broth while salmon cooks on top. Feta bakes into the orzo for a creamy, briny texture finished with lemon zest and fresh dill.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 530
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

salmon fillets
  • 4 salmon fillets
dry orzo
  • 1 cup dry orzo Dry orzo goes straight into the dish.
diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
vegetable broth
  • 2 cup vegetable broth
Kalamata olives
  • 0.5 cup Kalamata olives, halved
feta
  • 3 oz feta, crumbled Feta bakes into the orzo for a creamy, briny base.
garlic
  • 3 clove garlic cloves, minced
dried oregano
  • 0.5 tsp dried oregano
red pepper flakes
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
lemon
  • 1 juice and zest of 1 lemon
fresh dill
  • 1 fresh dill and extra feta to finish Use extra feta and dill right at the end.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and combine the orzo base
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Set out a wide baking dish so the orzo bakes evenly.
  2. In a wide baking dish, combine dry orzo, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir just until the dry orzo is evenly distributed.
  3. Add the Kalamata olives to the baking dish and stir to spread them through the broth. The olives should be visibly mixed into the tomato base.
Top with salmon and bake
  1. Nestle salmon fillets on top of the orzo mixture. Drizzle everything with olive oil so the salmon develops golden edges.
  2. Scatter crumbled feta over the salmon and orzo. Bake uncovered at 400°F for 22–25 min until orzo is tender and salmon is cooked through, and the feta looks partially melted.
Finish
  1. Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 2 min. This helps the broth thicken slightly around the orzo.
  2. Finish with lemon juice, lemon zest, and fresh dill. Add extra feta if desired for a more briny, creamy bite.

Notes

Pro tip: dry orzo absorbs the tomato broth as it bakes, so measure broth carefully and don’t pre-cook the orzo. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3 days; reheat gently in the microwave or oven until warmed through. Freezing is not recommended because the feta-and-orzo texture can become grainy. For a lighter option, use reduced-fat feta while keeping the same bake time to preserve creaminess.