One-Pot Spanakopita Orzo with Lemon Chicken Meatballs

episode #34 of 30-minute budget meals

Happy Friday! I am excited (and exhausted) today, because last night, I decided to book a last-minute trip to London! We have a ton of credit card points from all the money we’ve spent on IVF (fun), and one of my favorite things to do when I’m going through a hard time is run away to another country ;).

Yesterday, I finagled all my points so we wouldn’t have to pay a dime for the trip, and as I was clicking submit to buy our plane tickets — all my passport information inserted and everything — the page errored out and told me that the flights had gone up $300 a person! I was so mad, and I stayed up so late trying to figure it out. I worked it out this morning shifting my travel dates by just it a bit, but now I’m getting all giddy because we are going to London in a couple weeks!

London is one of my favorite cities in the world. I studied abroad there in 2012, and I’ve gone back to visit a few times since. Grant has never been, so I can’t wait to show him around and soak up autumn in one of my happy places. It has been a while since I’ve lived there, so if you have any restaurant recommendations, please send them my way!

RECIPE!

When I was around 6-years-old, I used to tell everyone my favorite food was spinach. I don’t know if I was being a child pick-me or what, but I do still enjoy a good spinach dish to this day, especially when it’s cooked with some cheese. Spanakopita, a Greek pie made with spinach and feta, is a perfect example of how spinach can be a star.

This one-skillet recipe is inspired by spanakopita — orzo is cooked with spinach and feta and then topped with lemony chicken meatballs. I was shocked at how moist these meatballs came out, and it made me want to cook with ground chicken more often.

To keep the recipe quick and within the 30-minute window (maybe pushing 35), I’ve included notes on when to do each step of the prep. This is one of those recipes where you’ll chop ingredients while others ingredients are cooking so you save time. I found myself getting bogged down most when rolling the meatballs, so try to work quickly when you do those — they don’t have to be perfect.

One-Pot Spanakopita Orzo with Lemon Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients (serves 2-3)