This Quick Orzo Soup is hearty, healthy, and makes a delicious side dish or light meal. You'll love the way the tender vegetables mix with the pasta and tasty broth.
If you love a hot soup that's filling, warming and tastes great, then this Quick Orzo Soup is for you. Not only is the recipe nice and simple, but it's also a delicious thing to serve for a light lunch or as a side dish to a larger main course. You can enjoy it either way because the orzo pasta and vegetables are truly satisfying. This comfort food is full of fresh flavor, garlic, and tender orzo pasta.
This soup is versatile, too, making it easy for you to tweak it and toss in additional ingredients depending on what you have on hand or what you're serving it with. This recipe is great with tender chicken, heavy cream, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, lemon zest/fresh lemon juice, fresh rosemary, Italian sausage, red pepper flakes, or fresh herbs. I love how convenient a quick soup is, perfect for busy days or cold ones when you want to warm yourself from the inside out. Let's talk about what you'll need to make this delicious soup.
Video Tutorial
Main Ingredients
- Carrots. Diced.
- Scallions. Also diced.
- Garlic clove. Freshly minced.
- Vegetable Broth. Or water will work, too.
- Olive Oil. Or whatever oil you prefer..
- Orzo Pasta.
- Baby Spinach.
- Kosher salt & Black pepper. To taste.
How to Make Quick Orzo Soup
1. Saute the carrots and scallions in olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Then add the garlic, and saute for another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the broth and bring the soup to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Now, add the orzo pasta and cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Finally, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach leaves and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve garnished with lemon wedges, parmesan cheese, or fresh parsley.
Helpful Tips & Tricks
- Use regular carrots. Dicing baby carrots is not easy, so do yourself a favor and use regular full-sized carrots for this dish for an easier time dicing them up.
- Season to your preference. Every broth is different in its amount of seasoning, so taste test your Quick Orzo Soup before adding extra salt and pepper to make sure you want more.
- Use baby spinach. These spinach leaves are nice and tender without any tough stems. They also wilt easily and have a delicious flavor that works well with this soup.
- Don't add the spinach until the end. If cooked too long, spinach can get bitter, slimy, and lose its color. Make sure to add it last so it only has enough time to wilt and soften before serving.
Variations to this Recipe
- Substitute frozen spinach. Even though fresh spinach is best for this Quick Orzo Soup, you can also use frozen spinach. Just thaw it and drain out the excess water before adding it in.
- Make it allergen-friendly. Using gluten-free orzo or rice in its place will make this gluten-free. And using a veggie broth makes it vegan.
- Substitute other small pasta types. You can also make this recipe with other smaller pasta, like midolline, fideo, elbow, alphabet pasta (for the kids!), acini di pepe, or pastina, cooked al dente. Or use whole wheat orzo.
- Add different vegetables or chicken. Try this soup with veggies like asparagus, kale, mushrooms, zucchini, or broccoli. Chop them up into smaller pieces so they don't overpower the dish. Or add cooked chicken (rotisserie), boneless skinless chicken breasts, or chicken thighs and chicken stock to make this a lemon chicken orzo soup recipe.
How to Store and Reheat it
To store any leftover soup, just place it in an airtight container once it has cooled and it will last in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can also freeze this soup by adding it to a freezer ziplock bag, freezing flat, then storing upright to save freezer space. It will last for up to 6 months. Thaw and reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
What to Serve this Quick Orzo Soup with
- Bread. Serve this soup with some crusty bread and whipped butter. Or enjoy it with some Potato Flatbread that will satisfy the whole family.
- Main dishes. Serve this as a side with some Chicken Burgers with Avocado Corn Salsa, Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Easy Baked Cabbage Steaks, or Baked Cod.
- Vegetables. Enjoy this dish with some Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Crunchy Baked Broccoli, Air Fryer Asparagus, or Roasted Potatoes and Carrots.
- Salad. Pair this soup with a salad, such as this Iceberg Lettuce Salad, Amazing Kale Salad, Refreshing Cucumber Salad, or Roasted Zucchini Salad.
I hope this lemon orzo soup recipe is satisfying, flavorful, and convenient for you. It is delicious, especially on a chilly day, and one of my favorite soups. Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or drop an email. The printable recipe and nutritional info are in the recipe card below.
More tasty soup recipes:
Quick Orzo Soup
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Ingredients
Instructions
- Saute the carrots and scallions in olive oil in a medium pot for about 5-7 minutes.1 tbsp. olive oil, 1 cup diced carrots, ½ cup chopped scallions
- Then add the garlic, and saute for another 1-2 minutes.2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- Add the broth and bring the soup to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.8 cups vegetable broth
- Now, add the orzo pasta and cook for about 5 minutes.1 cup orzo pasta
- Finally, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach leaves and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve garnished with lemon wedges or parmesan cheese.8 oz. baby spinach, roughly chopped, ½ tsp. sea salt, ¼ tsp. pepper
Notes
Variations to this Recipe
- Substitute frozen spinach. Even though fresh spinach is best for this Quick Orzo Soup, you can also use frozen spinach. Just thaw it and drain out the excess water before adding it in.
- Make it allergen-friendly. Using gluten-free orzo or rice in its place will make this gluten-free. And using a veggie broth makes it vegan.
- Substitute other pasta types. You can also make this recipe with other smaller pasta, like midolline, fideo, elbow, alphabet pasta (for the kids!), acini di pepe, or pastina.
- Add different vegetables. Try this soup with veggies like asparagus, kale, mushrooms, zucchini, or broccoli. Chop them up into smaller pieces so they don't overpower the dish.
Naomi Gaetano says
Super classic orzo soup recipe thank you! I made it with added deli chicken slices and a frozen veggie mix chopped up. It's the perfect base/directions to spin into whatever ingredients you have on hand. Thank you!
Tania Sheff says
Yes, thanks, Naomi! My kids love this soup!
Connie says
Very good. I added cooked chicken and one and a half cups of chicken broth. I also added some other spices sparingly: rosemary, thyme, basil, sage, and chives. It came out well. Definitely a keeper.!
Tania Sheff says
Thank you for the feedback and for the rating, Connie!