Creamy, satisfying, so delcious.
This creamy Vegetable Orzo Soup is my favourite winter meal this week. Kind of like an amped-up vegetarian lemon orzo soup, it’s creamy, rich, flavourful and packed with veggies. It makes me so happy that I almost forget I’m in Dry January and can’t have a glass of wine with it. Almost.
We love orzo around here. Like, I have to buy orzo on pretty much every grocery trip kind of love. We eat it in soups all the time and I probably make an orzo salad at least once a week. Why is it so good? Why? Let’s not question. Let’s just eat it.
I’m all for adding in extra veggies after the holidays, but it’s still freakin’ cold out and I still want to eat all the comfort food all the time. This does it for me. And it’s insanely easy to make which is a good thing because we’re tired of fussy recipes after all the holiday cookies we made aren’t we?
Here’s how you make it this super delish one pot meal… Sauté some veggies, add in lots of garlic, some herbs & red pepper flakes, throw in some , vegetable broth, beans and pasta and let it simmer away in a soup pot or dutch oven. Give it a whole bunch of zip with some lemon juice & zest. Stir in some cheese, cream and yes, kale (you’re welcome body). That’s it. That’s the whole thing.
Dry January who? Nope. Still haven’t forgotten. 🙁
Anything special you need to know?
You don’t have to use kale if you really dislike it. Any dark greens will work here. Baby spinach is softer and maybe a bit more well received by the kidlets in the house. You could even throw in some frozen spinach if you have some lying around in the back of your freezer (I know you do… we ALL do…).
Need other ideas? Read this.
Feel free to mix up the veggies and herbs too… zucchini would be fabulous. Cauliflower. Fennel. Broccoli. All good choices. Try thyme or basil too. No wrong choices here friends.
Looking for some similar ideas?
If you’re into this Vegetable Orzo Soup recipe you might be interested in a couple of similar recipes I have lying around here:
Creamy Vegetarian Gnocchi Soup with White Beans & Rosemary
If you try any of these please let me know! I always love to hear comments, ideas & suggestions from you! I really like those little star ratings too.
Vegetable Orzo Soup FAQs
Absolutely! Replace the butter with olive oil. Omit the cheese or use your favourite plant based cheese instead. Sub in coconut cream for the heavy cream or just leave it out entirely.
What have you got against orzo??? Ok, if you must, yes you can. Just use any other small pasta shape. Like whole wheat orzo!
Yep. I like white beans best, but you could use whatever you have around. Chickpeas would be good too.
Recipe-ish…
Let me know what you think!
Vegetable Orzo Soup with Parmesan and Lemon
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4-1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 14 oz can small white beans drained
- 1 cup orzo uncooked
- Zest of one lemon and
- 2 Tbsp juice
- 2 cups kale chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 2 Tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in a large soup pot.
- Add in the onion, carrot and celery.
- Cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add in the parsley and rosemary. Stir well.
- Add in the broth, beans and orzo. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then lower the heat and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the orzo is cooked.
- Stir in the lemon zest & juice, kale, parmesan and cream. Cook until heated through and the kale is wilted. Season with more salt & pepper, if desired.
- If soup is too thick for your liking just thin out with additional broth, cream or milk.
- Serve with extra parmesan and red pepper flakes.
If you like this Vegetable Orzo Soup Recipe please go try my Recipe for Cauliflower Leek & Potato Soup. Another delicious hug in a bowl. 🙂
