Tomato Orzo Soup - Vhira Virginia

There’s something so soothing about making a hot pot of soup on a cold stormy day. This Tomato Orzo Soup was just what we needed to warm us and re-energize us after shoveling several feet of snow off our buried steps this past week

 

You don’t need any complicated ingredients to make this delicious and simple soup recipe. This vegetarian tomato orzo soup starts off with aromatic vegetables such as carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Typical Italian seasonings such as dried bay leaves, oregano and basil are used to flavor the soup. Orzo pasta, which is a short pasta that resembles a large grain of rice, is used here but if you don’t have it in your pantry, you can use macaroni or any other short-cut pasta, even broken up spaghetti works. Fresh spinach is added near the end of cooking but can be omitted if you don’t have it or just prefer to leave it out.

To make this soup, start by cooking the aromatics, add the broth and crushed tomatoes or you can use canned diced tomatoes (fire roasted ones are really delicious) and the seasonings. Let the soup come to a boil and add the uncooked orzo. Lower the heat to a simmer and let the pasta cook in the soup until it’s al dente. Add the spinach, cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it wilts and the soup is ready to serve. An alternative way of cooking this soup is to cook the pasta part way in a separate pot, then add it to the rest of the ingredients and let it finish cooking in the soup. Ina Garten uses this method in her tomato soup recipe.

Made with simple ingredients, this easy and quick to make homemade vegetarian Tomato Orzo Soup is a delicious, hearty and healthy meal.

• Course: Soup


• Cuisine: American, Italian


• Keyword: Orzo Soup, Tomato Orzo Soup, Tomato Soup, Tomato Vegetable Soup


• Servings: 6


• Calories: 169

Ingredients

•     1 tablespoon olive oil


•     1 tablespoon butter


•     1 small onion diced


•     3 medium garlic cloves minced


•     1 cup carrots chopped


•     1 cup celery chopped


•     6 cups broth vegetable or chicken


•     2 cups crushed tomatoes strained tomatoes or tomato sauce also works


•     salt and black pepper to taste


•     2 bay leaves


•     1/2 teaspoon dried basil


•     1/2 teaspoon dried oregano


•     1 bay leaf optional


•     3/4 cup orzo pasta or pasta of choice


•     5 cups spinach


•     Optional Topping: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

•     In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.


•     Add onion, saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots and celery and saute for an additional 4 minutes.


•     Add broth, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, dried basil, dried oregano and season with salt and pepper. Let the soup come to a boil and add the orzo or pasta of choice. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally so orzo doesn’t stick.


•     Taste to adjust seasoning and add spinach. Once wilted, remove bay leaves and serve soup with freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil (if available).

RECIPE AND IMAGE ADAPTED FROM https://www.sweetandsavourypursuits.com