This comforting Orzo Vegetable Soup recipe is incredibly simple, nourishing and ready in about 30 minutes. It is packed with fresh vegetables, orzo and herbs, making this a hearty, cozy soup perfect for any time of the year.
Whenever colder days roll in, I like to make my family a comforting vegetable soup to keep us nourished and (hopefully) healthy for the inevitable winter illnesses. Whether its my vibrantly purple Hearty Red Cabbage Soup or this Lentil and Red Pepper Soup, I love the simplicity of one-pan soups. Plus, they are easy to adjust depending on what ingredients I have in the refrigerator and what my kids are willing to eat.
That is especially true for this vegetable orzo soup! I typically make it with a mirepoix (a French culinary term referring to 2 parts onion to 1 part each celery and carrots), a vegetable like zucchini or summer squash and a bunch of leafy greens. Then I like to add a protein, typically a can of white beans or chickpeas, along with gentle yet delicious herbs, including fresh parsley and dried herbs. There is a ton of flexibility in this recipe, so keep this one on hand anytime you want a comforting bowl of vegetable soup.
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Ingredients that Matter
Do not let this photo of the ingredients intimidate you! Yes, it looks like there are a ton of ingredients in this recipe, but I'll brake it down and you'll see it's all quite simple.
- Orzo. This rice-shaped pasta works well in soup because of its small size. It fits perfectly on a spoon, and since the vegetables are all about the same size, the soup has a lovely unified texture. Read below for other pasta and grain suggestions.
- Mirepoix. This French culinary term refers to a flavoring agent made of two parts onion to one part each celery and carrots. The idea here is the three vegetables provide complimentary aromatic flavor.
- Vegetables. Use whatever vegetables you have on hand, but I recommend adding at least couple. Start with a firmer vegetable, like zucchini or summer squash, and then finishing with a leafy green like baby spinach or baby kale.
- Aromatics. You have plenty of options in terms of aromatics, but I always recommend fresh garlic cloves and tomato paste. Yes, technically tomato paste isn't an aromatic, but I'm including it here because it adds depth of flavor. You can always leave both of these ingredients out, but you'll miss out on some serious flavor.
- Herbs. As with the aromatics, you have plenty of room to tweak the herbs. I recommend using a dried blend like Italian seasoning, then finish the soup with fresh herbs like parsley.
- Beans. Adding a can of beans helps make this soup feel more satisfying. I like to use navy beans as they are a small white bean, but you could use any white bean or even chickpeas.
- Tomatoes. Use a can of diced or petite diced tomatoes to add more flavor to the broth.
- Vegetable Broth. I like to use vegetable broth here but you can also use chicken broth.
- Lemon. A splash of fresh lemon juice adds a lovely pop of acidity to the soup. Be sure to add it at the end of cooking or else the flavor will cook out. Better yet, serve the soup with lemon wedges and you can add as much as you'd like.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
This soup recipe comes together in four simple steps. Here is how to make this recipe:
Start by adding olive oil, onion, celery and carrot to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottom pot and sauté over medium heat. Try not to burn the vegetables. Sprinkle with some of the salt and pepper. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent, about 8-10 minutes.
Stir in the zucchini, garlic, tomato paste and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 2 minutes. This step is important as tomato paste should always be gently fried to enhance its flavor and get rid of its slightly metallic taste.
Add the orzo, tomatoes and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and cook, partially covered, scrapping the bottom of the pan to avoid the orzo sticking, until the orzo is just tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the baby spinach and simmer until wilted, 1 more minute. Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve the soup with fresh lemon wedges. Note, as this soup sits the orzo will absorb broth, so you may need to add more broth or water to it if you let it sit for a long time.
Hint: Do not forget to scrape the bottom of the pot as the soup simmers or else the orzo may stick.
Substitutions
This vegetable orzo soup is dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan. There are, of course, plenty of substitutions you can make depending on your dietary needs and flavor preferences. Consider the following substitutions:
- Orzo - You don't have to use orzo for this soup. You can instead use another small shaped pasta, like ditalini, pastina or even alphabets. Be sure to check the package instructions to alter the cook times. Looking for a different grain altogether? Try instead using farro, buckwheat groats, wheatberries or even rice. Just be sure to adjust the cook time for these grains, as well.
- Gluten-Free - If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, try using a gluten-free orzo instead of regular orzo.
- Vegetables - There are plenty of options for the vegetables in this simple orzo soup. Try using summer squash, chopped green beans, bell peppers, fennel, kale, escarole, peas or Swiss chard. For the firmer vegetables, aim for about 2 cups of chopped vegetables (this is in addition to the mirepoix) while you want 5 ounces, or 8 loosely packed cups of leafy greens.
- Herbs - You can use dried oregano, parsley or even dill for this recipe. As for fresh herbs, I recommend a fairly mild herb like parsley, chives or scallions. But, I also love fresh dill in my soups, so that's always a great option.
- Protein - Use your favorite white bean, like navy, cannellini or great northern. You can also swap in a can of chickpeas or, if you want to add some meat, try adding some shredded chicken.
Serving Suggestions
This soup is a complete meal, but there is plenty of options when it comes to serving. Of course, some crusty bread is always a welcome addition, as is some grated cheese. You can also serve this soup with a fresh salad, like our Arugula and Crispy Quinoa Salad, Beet and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese or Kale and Apple Slaw.
Or try serving this soup as a starter to a vegetarian dinner alongside our easy and vegan Chickpea Patties, Red Lentil Patties or our Easy Vegetable Lasagna.
Storage
Store this soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Note that the orzo will absorb the broth the longer it sits in the refrigerator so before serving you may want to thin out the soup with more broth or water.
You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container or even freezer safe zip top bag for up to 3 months.
Top tip
Keep some extra broth on hand to thin out the soup, as needed. The longer the soup rests, the more the orzo will absorb the broth. You can simply add as much broth or even water to achieve the desired consistency.
FAQ
Despite the fact it looks like rice, orzo is in fact pasta.
Orzo is a pasta so it is not gluten-free. There are, however, gluten-free orzo options available.
Store leftover orzo vegetable soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Related
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Dinner Ideas
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Print
Recipe
Orzo Vegetable Soup
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
Description
This comforting Orzo Vegetable Soup recipe is incredibly simple, nourishing and ready in about 30 minutes. It is packed with fresh vegetables, orzo and herbs, making this a hearty, cozy soup perfect for any time of the year.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- ¾ tsp. table salt, divided, plus more to taste
- ½ tsp. black pepper, divided, plus more to taste
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 ½ tsp. Italian seasoning blend
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced or petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can navy beans, drained and rinsed (or cannellini, great northern or chickpeas)
- 6-8 cups vegetable broth, more as needed
- 5 oz. (8 loosely packed cups) baby spinach
- chopped parsley, for garnish
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Add oil, onion, carrots and celery to a heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly tender, 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
- Add the zucchini, garlic, tomato paste and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the orzo then add the tomatoes and their juices, beans and 6 cups of the broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the orzo from sticking, until the orzo is tender, 8-10 minutes.
- Add the spinach and cook until wilted, another 1 minute. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper, or more to taste. Serve the soup with parsley and lemon wedges on the side. Add more of the broth, if desired.
Notes
- Be sure the onions, carrots, and celery are fairly tender before adding the orzo.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Or freeze the soup for up to 3 months.
- Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding more vegetable broth or even water.
- The orzo will absorb the broth the longer it sits so you may want to adjust the consistency with more water or broth.
- You can use a range of vegetables including summer squash, green beans, Swiss chard, baby kale or bell peppers.
- Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pot as the soup simmers to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soups
- Method: simmering
- Cuisine: American
John says
Would barley work as a sub for orzo?
Adam Dolge says
Yes! I think barley will take a bit longer to cook, but that would be fine for this recipe. Let me know how it works out!
John says
Barley as a substitute for orzo worked! And the tomato paste gave the broth a good flavor.
Adam Dolge says
Great! I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!