Vegetable orzo soup is so filled withflavor and hearty textures, you’ll never find a more satisfying way to eat a bowl of vegetables. Done in under 30 minutes from simple ingredients with a science-based French technique that takes it to the next level.
Vegetable Orzo Soup Ingredients
My Vegetable Orzo Soup so easy to whip up, is chock full of healthy vegetables, the chunky texture makes it super hearty, and it is so full of flavor.
- Olive oil. The perfect light-flavored complement to the other ingredients, but you can use another oil like avocado or canola.
- Onion. White or red are both fine in this soup; the onion gives a little sweetness to the overall balance. It looks like a lot of onion going in, but trust me, it cooks down to nothing and is so important for flavor in this soup.
- Celery. Loaded with goodness, celery balances the veggie flavors out well in this recipe. You can switch them out for leeks if you’d prefer.
- Carrot. Sweet with an earthy taste, parsnips will work just as well in this soup.
- Garlic. Fresh garlic is ideal for this recipe as it is lighter than bottled garlic and won’t overpower the veggie flavors.
- Dried parsley. More concentrated than fresh, dried parsley adds brightness to this recipe.
- Red pepper flakes. You can opt to leave these out if you aren’t into their heat.
- Chicken or vegetable broth. Choose a good quality store-bought broth or make your own homemade batch. I love the flavor and golden color of chicken broth for this recipe, but if you prefer to make it vegetarian, use your favorite vegetable broth.
- Zucchini. I love the texture and lightness of diced zucchini in this soup.
- Orzo. Orzo pasta, or risoni as it’s also known, brings a little body to this veggie dish.
- Cold unsalted butter. This is the chef’s trick! Scroll to the end to read why it works.
- Baby spinach. Bright, light, and beautiful, you can use sliced regular spinach if you can’t find any baby leaves.
Variations and Substitutions
- Punch in health and wellness by adding in a little chopped kale .
- Adding in a can of tomatoes and a little Parmesan cheese will give this soup a slight turn towards a minestrone.
- Create a protein-rich meaty variation by adding in chopped bacon and beans.
- Add in other veggies and herbs like green beans, bell peppers, thyme, oregano, or some fresh asparagus at the end.
How To Make Vegetable Orzo Soup Recipe
Guys, this is so simple. A one-pot wonder, you’re just going to saute off all the elements, add in your broth, and you’ll be set.
- First, heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Next, cook the onion, celery, and carrot with 1 tsp of salt until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook a minute more and then pour in the broth.
- Add the red pepper flakes, dried parsley, zucchini, orzo, and the remaining 1 tsp of salt.
- Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, until the orzo is cooked through.
- Stir in butter and spinach leaves and cook a minute more.
What To Serve With It
- Homemade garlic bread or cheesy garlic bread fingers
- Crusty bread (like my easy Dutch Oven Bread Recipe -that’s no knead!) Oatmeal brown bread
- Grilled panzanella (bread salad)
Make Ahead & Storage
The soup can also be made up ahead and frozen, then thawed and warmed up on the stovetop or in a microwave.
Refrigerator Storage
Store any leftovers in the fridge in a sealed jar or airtight container. The soup will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Freezer Storage
You can also freeze the soup in freezer-safe containers or freezer bags for about 3 months.
FAQs
Is orzo a rice or a pasta?
Although it looks like rice, orzo is a short-cut type of pasta. Note that it’s not gluten free!
How can I make my soup more flavorful?
By adding in extra seasonings like salt, spices, and herbs or by ensuring you choose a more flavorful broth. A little sprinkle of Parmesan cheese can improve the savory flavor of the soup.
How long does vegetable soup last in the freezer?
Your veggie soup will last for about 3 months in the freezer as long as it is correctly packed.
How do you add richness to vegetable soup?
By stirring in a bit of butter right at the end of the process.
Other Vegetable Soup Recipes You Won’t Want To Miss
- Creamy potato zucchini soup
- Best ever homemade tomato soup
- Creamy tortellini soup
- Broccoli cheddar soup
Pro Tips And Food Science Tricks
I’m a food scientist. Here are my fav little hacks to make this easier and better!
- In place of regular broth, you may use 2 tbsp better than bouillon plus 6 cups water. I put the kettle on to boil when I start cooking and make the broth with boiling water. It speeds up the process a lot!
- Build the base: The slowest part of the recipe is waiting for the onions to soften, but be patient. They need to release their moisture for that flavor to concentrate and fill the soup with yummy flavor. Adding salt in this step not only builds seasoning in layers, it helps draw the water out of the vegetables and speeds up the process.This also ensures that the onion just melts right into the broth, so nobody gets pieces of crunchy onion (or worse, slimy, if you simply boil it without sauteing).
- “Monter au Beurre”: Cold butter is an emulsion (water and fat suspended together in a delicate balance). When you stir it into hot soup at the last minute, that emulsion slowly releases into the broth, binding with flavor compounds and creating a silky, glossy, full-bodied soup.
But here’s where people go wrong: they use soft or melted butter or think sauteing in butter at the start does the same thing. NOPE. Melted butter has already broken. The water and fat have separated. Stir that in and you get a greasy slick on top instead of velvety richness.
Cold butter in the last 30 seconds is all it takes to make a simple vegetable soup taste like a restaurant made it.
Vegetable Orzo Soup
Warm up to a homemade bowl of vegetable orzo soup. Ready in 30 minutes, it's the perfect way to bring comfort to your family dinner table.
Video
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 ½ cups finely-chopped onion *see note
- 1 cup sliced celery
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 2 tsp kosher salt divided use
- 1 ½ tsp minced garlic
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1 ½ cups diced zucchini
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Cook the onion, celery and carrot with 1 tsp of the salt until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook a minute more before pouring in the broth.
- Add the red pepper flakes, dried parsley,, zucchini, orzo and remaining 1 tsp of salt.
- Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered, until orzo is cooked through.
- Stir in butter and spinach leaves and cook a minute more until spinach is just wilted.
Notes
1 large yellow onion will yield about 2 1/2 cups finely-chopped.
Don’t overcook the orzo; it should have a little bite to it still.
Nutrition
Calories: 297kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 1818mg | Potassium: 443mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5854IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment!
Delicious recipe. My family loved it!
Deliciousness. This orzo soup is perfect for this weather. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds very yummy! I have it on the plan to make tonight! Thanks for the recipe share!
This soup is my new favourite thing! I am always looking for recipes to make for meatless monday, and this one is a winner for sure!
This orzo soup looks so delicious! A perfect recipe for winter and spring.
We loved this hearty and nourishing soup! The orzo gave it a wonderful texture along with the veggies.
This was exactly what I needed! My kids shared their cold with me, and this soup it the spot. Thank you Jennifer!
This was delicious and comforting, and a great way to use up some leftover vegetables too.
Delicious soup great flavour and so simple to make. The whole family loved it so will definitely make again!
The perfect winter warmer soup recipe this is well needed; the weather is miserable here in the UK.
This will be getting made after a long dog walk lol
Thank you so much, Luke! We are still deep in winter doldrums in Vancouver, too. Let’s eat soup and hope for sunshine soon!