My vegetable orzo soup will get anyone to eat their vegetables! This comforting soup is packed with approachable vegetables like carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans, and tomatoes, with orzo pasta in a flavorful vegetable broth with a touch of simple seasonings.
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I love making soups year-round, but I’m an especially big fan of them during the winter. I love to make flavorful bowls of vegan potato soup or Lebanese lentil soup that pack a punch of flavor and health benefits while warming up the family on a cold day.
Another recipe I’ve added to my rotation is this vegetable orzo soup. It’s flavorful, lightly seasoned, and packed with veggies that even picky eaters tend to enjoy, which makes it the perfect family dinner!
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Why You’ll Love This Vegetable Orzo Soup
Simple Ingredients: All you need are a handful of common veggies, orzo pasta, vegetable broth, and a few seasonings to make this recipe.
Easy: It only takes a few minutes of prep and 40 minutes from start to finish.
Flavorful: This soup is loaded with veggies in a vegetable broth that’s lightly seasoned with thyme, basil, and paprika.
Approachable: All the vegetables are classics that almost anyone will eat, so it’s a dish that can get pretty much anyone to eat their veggies. The small, soft texture of cooked vegetables blends well with the orzo pasta, making them less noticeable and more palatable to kids.
Ingredients and Notes
Onions and Garlic: Onions and garlic are a classic aromatic combo for soups, which gives them a wonderful flavor.
Vegetables: Carrots, celery, zucchini, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and spinach add simple flavors and textures along with tons of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Vegetable Broth: Vegetable broth creates a flavorful base for the soup. I recommend using low-sodium broth.
Lemon Juice: Lemon juice adds a bright citrus note that pairs perfectly with the vegetables and seasonings.
Orzo: Orzo is a short, rice-like pasta and gives the soup a nice texture.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for a full list of ingredients and their exact amounts.
Substitutions and Variations
Veggies: The great thing about this soup is that you can pack it full of vegetables. Get creative and add all your favorites. Opt for vegetables that are in season, or clean out your veggie drawer at the end of the week.
Spicy: Add red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.
Pasta: Add macaroni or another short noodle variety for vegetable noodle soup.
How to Make Vegetable Orzo Soup
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in olive oil until softened.
- Stir in the remaining vegetables and add the seasonings, then continue cooking until fragrant.
- Add the vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables soften.
- Add the orzo and simmer until tender. Then, stir in the spinach and cook until wilted.
- Finally, add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
FAQ
Orzo is a short-cut pasta that resembles a large grain of rice. It’s so similar in appearance that many people think orzo is rice.
Orzo adds texture and an enjoyable mouthfeel to soups. It’s particularly well-suited to them because it doesn’t swell and get mushy like other pasta when added to soup.
Almost any vegetable can be added to vegetable soup. Carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, peas, parsnips, spinach, or almost anything else work well. The vegetables you choose will depend on the flavor profile you are going for. This vegetable orzo soup is aromatic and doesn’t have starchy vegetables such as potatoes, squash, or corn since the orzo in the soup adds a thickening element to this soup.
Light vegetable soups like this one that have no cream or added fats are very healthy and loaded with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Vegetable soups with added cream or butter are far less healthy due to the extra fat.
Expert Tips
- Cherry tomatoes work best in this soup because of their small size and sweet flavor.
- Dice the onions, carrots, and celery relatively the same size so that all cook evenly.
- Use fresh lemon juice if possible. Fresh lemon juice is brighter, livelier, and sweeter than bottled lemon juice, which can have a dull flavor and be overly acidic.
- Stir frequently while sauteing the vegetables to prevent the onions and garlic from sticking.
Serving Suggestions
Add more protein to the soup by adding these optional suggestions:
- Stir in cooked cannellini beans, chickpeas, or lentils directly into the soup for added protein without extra prep.
- Slice and brown a vegan sausage to mix into the soup or serve as a topping.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of hemp hearts on top of the soup for added flavor and an extra protein boost.
- Pair the soup with vegan potato skins, herbed potato wedges, or vegan garlic bread for a heartier meal with even more flavor.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezer: Store for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
Reheat: Transfer the soup to a pot and cook on medium-low heat until heated.
More Vegan Soup Recipes!
Recipe
Vegetable Orzo Soup
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 cup green beans roughly chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup orzo dry
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or more to taske
For Serving
- fresh parsley roughly chopped
- vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables are softened.
- Stir in the zucchini, green beans, and cherry tomatoes. Add the thyme, basil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften.
- Add the orzo to the pot and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the orzo is tender.
- Stir in the chopped spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until wilted. Add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley or vegan parmesan cheese.
Video
Notes
- Cherry tomatoes work best in this soup because of their small size and sweet flavor.
- Dice the onions, carrots, and celery relatively the same size so that all cook evenly.
- Use fresh lemon juice if possible. Fresh lemon juice is brighter, livelier, and sweeter than bottled lemon juice, which can have a dull flavor and be overly acidic.
- Stir frequently while sauteing the vegetables to prevent the onions and garlic from sticking.
- Stir in cooked cannellini beans, chickpeas, or lentils directly into the soup for added protein without extra prep.
- Slice and brown a vegan sausage to mix into the soup or serve as a topping.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of hemp hearts on top of the soup for added flavor and an extra protein boost.
- Pair the soup with vegan potato skins, herbed potato wedges, or vegan garlic bread for a heartier meal with even more flavor.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer-safe container.
- Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat.
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