Vegetable Orzo Soup

This is a square picture of vegetable and orzo soup.

5 from 1 vote

Comforting and delicious, this easy one pot vegetable orzo soup is filled with flavor and goodness. Loaded with nutritious veggies, it's a great vegetarian recipe for a cold winter meal.

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Total Time55

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 208kcal

Author: Priscilla Lawrence

Equipment

large pot
wooden spoon

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion about 1 small onion
3-4 carrots about 2 cups chopped
½ cup finely chopped celery about 2 stalks
½ cup chopped leek about 1 small leek, white part only
4-5 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or more to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper more or less to taste
1 15.5 ounces can crushed tomatoes
4 cups broth chicken or vegetable
2 cups water
1 15.5 ounces can white beans rinsed and drained
½ cup orzo uncooked
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or more to taste
2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
freshly grated parmesan to taste

Instructions

In a large pot, heat up olive oil over medium high heat. Once hot, add chopped onion, carrots, celery and leeks, reduce heat to medium, and sautée stirring often for 7-8 minutes.
Mix all the spices together: onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
Add the spices, minced garlic and tomato paste to the veggies. Stir everything well and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, and water, stir everything. Up the heat, bring the pot to a low boil, then lower to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring from time to time for 15-20 minutes.
After 15-18 minutes, or when the carrots are tender when poked with a fork, add the drained white beans and orzo to the pot. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until orzo is fully cooked.
Finally add the fresh lemon juice and roughly chopped spinach, and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve soup with shredded fresh parmesan if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Broth: add a little more broth (or water) if the soup feels too thick to your taste. I like to add water to the carton of broth and shake it to get all of it.
Orzo: don't add too much orzo, it might seem like it's not enough when it's dry but it'll expend a lot and absorb a lot of the broth.

*The nutritional values shown in this recipe are approximate for one suggested serving size using the ingredients listed but not including any optional items and may vary per actual preferred portion sizes.

Nutrition