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    Home » Soup » Vegetable Orzo Soup

    Published on Aug 6, 2020 by Alena Kharlamenko, MS, RD | Last modified on Dec 3, 2020

    Vegetable Orzo Soup

    3.0K shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This vegetarian vegetable orzo soup packs in lots of veggies, orzo, and white cannelini beans. It's so cozy and comforting, and also makes for a filling and healthy lunch or dinner.

    Vegetable Orzo Soup in bowls

    There's something just so cozy and comforting about soup. This vegetable orzo soup is no exception! Filled with the goodness of veggies like onions, celery, carrots, bell peppers, and diced tomatoes, there's a variety of flavors and nutrients.

    To make it extra filling and satiating, this veggie soup is packed with fiber and plant-based protein from the whole wheat orzo and cannelini beans, making it a complete (meat-less!) meal. The lemon juice and parsley finishes it off with a delicious freshness and zing.

    Ingredients

    • Veggies: Onion, celery, and carrots make up the mirepoix for the soup, but there's also bell peppers, garlic, and diced tomatoes.
    • Whole wheat orzo: Whole wheat orzo has a hearty and chewy texture in this soup recipe.
    • Cannelini beans: These nutritious beans have so much plant-based protein and fiber, adding so much filling power in this soup!
    • Vegetable broth: Since vegetable broth has a considerable amount of sodium, I usually feel like salt isn't totally necessary in this soup, but you can season with salt if you prefer.
    • Spices and herbs: Dried oregano added in with the garlic gives this soup a flavor boost right away, and the fresh parsley is a delicious finisher and garnish.
    • Lemon juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice brings a brightness to the soup.
    Ingredients for Vegetable Orzo Soup in bowls

    How to Make Vegetable Orzo Soup

    First, chop and dice your veggies. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute.

    Add diced tomatoes, broth, orzo, cannellini beans, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente.

    Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with more parsley. Enjoy!

    • veggies for soup in a pot
    • veggies, orzo, tomatoes in a pot
    • soup in a pot
    • lemon squeezed over soup
    • parsley over soup

    Storage Tips

    Prior to storing, allow the soup to cool for 10-20 minutes. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

    You can also freeze the soup to enjoy at a later date! Pour the soup into resealable plastic bags, removing any air. When you're ready to eat, simply heat in a pot or microwave until hot.

    Expert Tips

    • Orzo has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot, so make sure to stir the soup occassionally. When you stir, make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot too.
    Vegetable Orzo Soup in a bowl

    Variations and Substitutions

    You can play around with different variations to make this soup work for you!

    • Make it vegan: This soup is vegan as-is, so no changes are necessary.
    • Make it gluten-free: Orzo contains gluten, but if you follow a gluten-free diet, you can substitute orzo with your preferred gluten-free pasta.
    • Change up the veggies! You can add whatever veggies sound good to you. Broccoli, mushrooms, spinach, and kale would all work well in this soup. For the leafy greens such as kale and spinach, I would recommend adding them in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking.
    • Don't have cannelini beans? Try swapping with chickpeas (garbanzo beans) instead.
    • Don't have whole wheat orzo? You can swap out orzo for any small pasta shape or use regular orzo instead of whole wheat.
    • Don't have oregano? Swap with ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning instead!

    What to Serve with Vegetable Orzo Soup:

    • A piece of crusty bread
    • A handful of crackers
    • If you're a soup and salad kind of person (me too!), this vegetable orzo soup would be absolutely delicious with this Mediterranean Shrimp Salad.
    Vegetable Orzo Soup in a bowl

    If you made this recipe, I’d love to see your creation! Don’t forget to snap a picture and tag me @thebalancedbite on Instagram. Follow along on Pinterest and Facebook for more healthy & tasty recipes!

    More Easy Orzo Recipes:

    • Lentil Stuffed Peppers with Orzo & Feta
    • Mediterranean Orzo Shrimp Salad
    Vegetable Orzo Soup in a bowl

    Vegetable Orzo Soup

    This vegetarian vegetable orzo soup packs in lots of veggies, orzo, and white cannelini beans. It's so cozy and comforting, and also makes for a filling and healthy lunch or dinner.
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Dinner, Main Dish, Meal Prep, Soup
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Author: Alena Kharlamenko, MS, RD

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
    • 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
    • 1 cup diced carrots (about 2-3 carrots)
    • 1 medium bell pepper, cored and diced
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • ½ tablespoon dried oregano
    • 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
    • 6 cups vegetable broth
    • 1 cup whole wheat orzo
    • 1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
    • Juice from ½ lemon
    • 3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute.
    • Add diced tomatoes, broth, orzo, cannellini beans, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente.
    • Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    • Serve in individual bowls and garnish with more parsley. Enjoy!

    Pin this for later!

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    3.0K shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chase Mazur says

      August 06, 2020 at 6:24 pm

      5 stars
      I'm not normally a soup guy, but it's easy to make an exception for something so delicious and hearty.

      Reply
    2. Marianne says

      February 23, 2021 at 1:30 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious, easy and filling.. Thank you!

      Reply
    3. Cavell says

      March 23, 2022 at 3:55 pm

      5 stars
      I used fennel instead of celery (which I strongly dislike!) but otherwise followed the recipe. It was a tasty, filling soup and made for a nice weeknight dinner with a baguette. It will be on my regular rotation.

      Reply
    4. Karen Purdy says

      March 30, 2022 at 9:08 pm

      5 stars
      This was so good! I added spinach to the soup that was loaded with vegetables and it tasted like you were eating something so healthy for you! My son had a cold and this was just what he needed. I also added a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and mini baguette crackers on top…delicious. I will be making this soup over and over again. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe…❤️❤️❤️

      Reply
    5. Debbie says

      April 05, 2022 at 1:16 pm

      5 stars
      Loved it. Might add a few extra veggies next time

      Reply

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    Welcome to my tiny New York City kitchen!

    I'm Alena Kharlamenko - the registered dietitian, self-taught home cook, recipe developer, and taste taster behind the scenes here at Alena Menko Nutrition. Here you'll find healthy, and delicious recipes that are simple and quick to make.

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