Creamy Orzo and Vegetable Soup

Round grey bowl with a serving of Creamy Orzo Vegetable Soup, with a spoon resting in the bowl.

This Creamy Orzo and Vegetable Soup is hearty and nourishing and certain to be popular with the whole family. It contains a generous quantity of vegetables that provide colour, flavour and contrasting texture. Some orzo gives depth to the soup and a small amount of cream completes the dish. This is a recipe that you will frequently turn to because it contains simple ingredients that are readily available, or you may already have on hand. You can have it on the table in about 30 minutes and as it is cooked in one pot there is less washing up: always good! Just add some crusty bread, and you will have a complete meal!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 355kcal

Author Alexandra Cook - It's Not Complicated Recipes

Ingredients

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil See Note 1
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium brown/yellow onion - peeled and finely diced
1 large carrot - washed, finely diced
2 ribs celery - finely diced
3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 tablespoon all purpose/plain flour
5 cups (1.25 litre) vegetable stock See Note 2
1 piece Parmesan rind – about 7 ½ cm/3 inches See Note 3
¼ teaspoon dried red chilli pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon fresh thyme - finely chopped
1 medium zucchini - cut into small cubes
¾ cup (150 g) dried orzo/risoni pasta
½ cup (125 ml) heavy whipping/thickened cream See Note 4
2 cups curly kale - stems removed - finely chopped and firmly packed
1 tablespoon lemon juice - freshly squeezed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste See Note 5

To Serve:

¼ cup flat leaf parsley - finely chopped

Instructions

Add olive oil to a large saucepan, and over medium heat, add the diced onion, carrot and celery and sauté gently for about 5 minutes until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes translucent. Stir occasionally.
Add the garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the flour and stir well, and cook for a further one minute.
To the vegetables, add in the stock, Parmesan rind and herbs. Bring to a simmer.
Once simmering, add in the zucchini and orzo, and stir to ensure the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Cook for about 7-8 minutes, before adding the cream, kale and lemon juice.
Simmer for a further 2 minutes, or until the orzo is cooked.
Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. If the soup is too thick, add a little extra stock. It will thicken as it stands.
Ladle the soup into bowls, discarding the Parmesan rind.
Serve with a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

Tablespoon: we use a standard Australian tablespoon which is 20 ml (4 teaspoons). For readers located elsewhere in the world, please use 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon for each listed tablespoon.
Stock: you could also use chicken stock if you do not require a vegetarian soup.
Parmesan Rind: a small piece of leftover Parmesan rind softens as the soup cooks and adds great flavour. Omit for a vegan or vegetarian soup.
Cream: for a creamy texture and best flavour, use full-fat cream. Thickened/heavy whipping cream should have a minimum 35% fat content.
Seasoning: adjust the seasoning to your liking – we recommend using freshly ground black pepper and sea salt flakes for the best flavour. Add more red chilli pepper flakes if you like the heat.
Make-ahead: if you are not serving the soup straight away, I recommend that you cook the orzo separately and add it when warming the soup as the pasta may absorb liquid as it sits in the broth.
Storage and reheating: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave. The soup will thicken while standing, so just add some more stock or water.
Freezing: this recipe is not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition