Kelly JensenThis Spinach Orzo Soup recipe is a hearty and comforting lunch or dinner recipe, a simple weeknight soup you can meal prep. Creamy and loaded with vegetables.
This soup makes a fantastic meal prep lunch, or a cozy light dinner. Enjoy a big bowl with a slice of easy-to-make Dutch Oven bread or a big side salad, and dinner is served!
Sometimes you just need a big bowl of comfort food, and this spinach orzo soup is such a cozy and delicious choice. I’ve always loved orzo pasta, it’s one of my favorite shapes! I love it in soups, and also salads like my Greek Orzo pot luck salad that I make every month in the summer.
This soup is easy to meal prep or batch cook for the week. The below recipe makes a giant pot of soup, perfect for dividing into individual portions. It also freezes well, so if you have extra add it to a jar or container and freeze. All you have to do is thaw the next time you want a tasty homemade meal!
This Spinach Orzo Soup Recipe Is
- Bright
- Creamy
- Made without Dairy or Eggs
- Lemony
- Comforting
- Satisfying
- Vegan, Vegetarian, and Gluten Free!
Make Orzo Soup Vegetarian for a Plant-Based Version
This vegetarian orzo lemon soup is a simple way to get extra veggies in your diet. I’m all about making recipes plant-based when I can. Vegetarian cooking does NOT have to be bland, boring, or flavorless… It’s quite the opposite when done right. By building meals around vegetarian pantry staples and swapping in a few plant-based ingredients you can make better meals for you and your family.
I made a list of my 125 favorite vegan pantry ingredients that we use on a weekly basis, and check out all my vegan recipes here that are on The Herbeevore. These easy and quick recipes are fantastic meatless meals for your table.
What’s In This Orzo Spinach Soup Recipe?
I cook with fresh produce from my garden and from Misfits Market– they sell fantastic fruit, vegetables, & pantry staples at a discounted price. We get Misfit boxes every other week and love picking out favorite produce for delivery. Get $10 off your first box here!
- Onions, Garlic, Carrots, Celery, Spinach
- Orzo Pasta – I absolutely love this fun orzo pasta shape, it goes great with this bright and fresh salad. I used regular orzo for this pasta, but if you are looking for a gluten free version, you can find one here online!
- Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
- Herbes de Provence: my favorite spice blend! This French blend has a mix of rosemary, thyme, sage, and savory for a wonderful and complex flavor.
- Half & Half or Coconut Milk – I find that using either half & half, or coconut milk has just enough fat content to make this totally decadent – no need to use heavy cream in this. Use full-fat coconut milk for a dairy-free and vegan version!
- Lemon Juice: Use fresh lemons if you have it, or this really great bottled lemon that you can keep in your pantry if you don’t have fresh lemons. This organic lemon is great for dressings, dips, and even cocktails
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: I like to use a pink Himalayan Sea Salt.
- Tellicherry Peppercorns: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper. Amazon has a generic brand tellicherry peppercorn which is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor… so I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend.
How To Add Pasta to Soups
For most of my recipes, I cook the pasta separately from the soup broth. If you add dried or cooked pasta directly to a hot soup, you run the risk of having the dried pasta soak up all the broth and overcook the noodles (turning it soup into a mushy mess). I’ve found that cooking the pasta separately, then serving the broth over the noodles in a bowl works best.
I allow the soup to cool, then add the cooked pasta after. That way you’ll have perfectly cooked pasta that holds it shape and a delicious brothy soup. You can read all my soup recipes on the blog here! There are a lot of them… we are a soup-er household!
How Do I Make Vegetarian Orzo Soup with Spinach?
- Cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside.
- In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 5 to 6 minutes until they vegetables become translucent. Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, salt, and pepper and sauté for a few minutes more. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the herbs de Provence, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook on low heat for 30 minutes until carrots and celery are cooked through.
- Once soup has finished cooking, add the spinach and allow to sit for 5 minutes longer until the spinach wilts. Add the half and half/coconut milk to the broth along with the lemon juice. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed, adding more salt or pepper if desired.
- To serve, add a scoop of the orzo pasta to a bowl, and pour the hot soup over the orzo. Serve with crusty bread and a side salad.
- *Do not add the orzo directly to the hot pot of soup. The heat from the broth will cause the pasta to overcook and become mushy. To store, wait for the pasta and the broth to cool before combining.
More Easy Pasta Soup Recipes You’ll Love!
One Pot Creamy Tortellini Soup Recipe (Vegetarian)
Vegetable Udon Noodle Soup Recipe (Vegetarian, Vegan)
Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup with Potatoes Recipe (Gluten Free)
Parsley Noodle Soup Recipe (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten Free Option)
Creamy Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe (Gluten Free)
Share This Creamy Spinach Orzo Soup Recipe
As always, if you make this vegetarian orzo spinach soup recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Spinach Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce package orzo use gluten free if desired
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 carrots sliced
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon herbs de Provence
- 4 cups fresh spinach or 1 12-oz package frozen
- 1/4 cup half & half or coconut milk for vegan version
- 2 lemons juiced
Instructions
- Cook orzo according to package instructions. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside.
- In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 5 to 6 minutes until they vegetables become translucent. Add the carrots, celery, zucchini, salt, and pepper and sauté for a few minutes more. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the herbs de Provence, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook on low heat for 30 minutes until carrots and celery are cooked through.
- Add spinach, and cook for an additional 5 minutes until spinach has wilted. Remove from heat. Warm the half and half and add to the broth along with the lemon juice. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed, adding more salt or pepper if desired.
- To serve, add a scoop of the orzo pasta to a bowl, and pour the hot soup over the orzo. Serve with crusty bread and a side salad.
- *Do not add the orzo directly to the hot pot of soup. The heat from the broth will cause the pasta to overcook and become mushy. To store, wait for the pasta and the broth to cool before combining.
Notes
Save Money on Organic Produce!
I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market – they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every other week and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here! If you think organic produce is too expensive… think again, and give Misfits Market a look!Nutrition
Or tag me @theherbeevore in your photo on Instagram!
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This soup is super