Vegetable orzo soup

Vegetable orzo soup- a delicious, comforting Mediterranean-style soup loaded with a lot of tasty ingredients. It's very easy to make and you can have it on the table in just 30 minutes. It's a vegan-friendly soup.

If you are looking for a satisfying one-pot meal recipe that can be prepared quickly and doesn't need much cutting and chopping then this vegetable orzo soup is a great option for you.

This Mediterranean-style orzo soup is made with frozen vegetables which saves a lot of time.

It gets ready in just 30 minutes and can be enjoyed by vegans and vegetarians too.

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What's needed to make vegetable orzo soup?

To make vegetable orzo soup, you will need the ingredients shown below:

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

• Orzo: It's a very small pasta with the shape of rice grains. You can make this soup by using any type of pasta.
• Onion: I have used red onion but brown or white onion can be used too.
• Ginger: Ginger adds a kick to this soup. You can also use ginger powder instead of fresh ginger.
• Frozen mixed vegetables: I have used frozen mixed vegetables (green beans, carrots, green peas, and sweet corn kernels). You can use fresh vegetables too. Feel free to add vegetables of your choice. Some other vegetables that go well in this orzo soup are broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, bell pepper, mushrooms, and potato.
• Baby spinach: You can also use roughly chopped regular spinach or kale in this recipe. Cook them for a longer time than baby spinach.
• Canned chopped tomatoes: Passata or pasta sauce can be used too. Fresh tomatoes can also be used but they don't give the rich flavor that canned tomatoes do. Also, if using fresh tomatoes, add them before adding the frozen vegetables and cook for a few minutes i.e. until they no longer are raw and change the color to a brighter red.
• Seasonings: I have used red chili flakes, dried oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper to flavor this soup. You can use seasonings of your choice to flavor it like rosemary, basil, or mixed Italian herbs.

How to make (step-by-step instructions)?

Step 1: Heat olive oil in a cooking pot. Add chopped onion and celery. Cook until the onion turns translucent.

Step 2: Add minced garlic and saute for a few seconds.

Step 3: Add red chili flakes, thyme, oregano, and ground black pepper. Saute for a few seconds.

Step 4: Wash frozen vegetables and add them to the cooking pot along with grated ginger.

Step 5: Cook the vegetables for 3-4 minutes.

Step 6: Add canned tomatoes and salt.

Step 7: Saute for a minute.

Step 8: Add vegetable stock and let it simmer.

Step 9: Add orzo.

Step 10: Cook for around 15 minutes or until the orzo is cooked.

Step 11: Add baby spinach.

Step 12: Cook for about a minute i.e. until the leaves get wilted.

Your delicious vegetable orzo soup is ready to be served.

How to serve?

Serve this orzo soup hot or warm.

It can be enjoyed all by itself as a meal or you can serve a side dish like toasted bread, garlic bread, breadsticks, or dinner rolls on the side.

You can also pair it with a side dish like these baked potato wedges or any grilled vegetable.

Storing, reheating, and making ahead tips

Store the leftover vegetable orzo soup in an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.

To reheat, transfer the soup to a cooking pot and put it on the stovetop. When you leave the orzo soup for a couple of hours, the pasta absorbs liquid and the soup thickens. So while reheating, add some more hot stock or water to adjust the consistency of the soup and cook for a few minutes. It's always better to add hot liquid instead of cold liquid while reheating a dish. This is a tip that I have learned from my mother.

Also, always check and reseason the soup, if required, whenever adding more liquid to the soup.

To reheat, you can also microwave it for a few minutes, stirring in between after every 1-2 minutes until evenly heated.

However, it's better that if you are planning to make it in advance, make it only till the step where you add stock and simmer it. After that allow it to reach room temperature and store without adding orzo and baby spinach.

When you plan to serve it, boil the soup, add orzo, cook it, and then add baby spinach.

Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions

• Instead of using frozen vegetables, you can also use fresh vegetables of your choice to make this soup. Some other vegetables that go well in orzo soup are broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, and mushrooms.
• Feel free to use seasonings of your choice to flavor the soup. 
• You can use any pasta of your choice instead of orzo in this recipe.
• You can also use rice instead of pasta in this soup. However, the cooking time will change if you use rice.
• To add more protein to this orzo soup, add cooked beans like white beans, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, etc.

Frequently asked questions