Vegetable, White Bean, and Orzo Soup
Recipe revisited… I spent the day with my curtains closed and ice packs on my head due to an excruciating headache that has left me useless. Obviously, I am not able to cook a new recipe tonight so I thought I would re-post one that I’ve been craving. This soup is simple to make and is comforting, healthy, and delicious. I hope to be back to cooking tomorrow.
Originally posted April 1, 2011:
I had a busy day and didn’t have a lot of time to make dinner so I decided to use up what I had on hand and make a big pot of soup. I found carrots, zucchini, squash, spinach, and onion in the refrigerator (and luckily my neighbor had some celery I could have – thanks Cheryl!). I found some white beans and orzo in the cupboard and decided to throw them in the soup too. It was quick and super easy to make and tasted fantastic. I served my soup with feta cheese sprinkled on top but my kids preferred it without the cheese.
How to Make Vegetable, White Bean, and Orzo Soup
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, dried basil, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes; add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
Add orzo and cook for 8 minutes then add the zucchini, yellow squash, and spinach. Taste and re-season if needed. Cook for 2 minutes then ladle into bowls. Top each bowl of soup with feta cheese and serve immediately. Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 1-2 tsp of olive oil
- ½ sweet yellow onion diced
- 3 carrots diced
- 3 stalks of celery diced
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 6 cups of chicken broth **Use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian
- 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes drained
- 1 15 oz can of cannellini beans drained
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
- ½ cup of orzo
- 1 cup of zucchini diced
- 1 cup of yellow squash diced
- 2 cups of baby spinach
- Feta cheese garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, dried basil, and oregano. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-6 minutes; add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly. Add the broth, tomatoes, beans, and sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste then cover with a lid and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Add orzo and cook for 8 minutes then add the zucchini, yellow squash, and spinach. Taste and re-season if needed. Cook for 2 minutes then ladle into bowls. Top each bowl of soup with feta cheese and serve immediately. Enjoy.
I hope you’ll feel better soon!
The soup sounds delicious and comforting!
This soup looks both healthy AND satisfying- best combo!!
Sorry to hear about the headache – I used to get those debilitating ones as a kid. It’s not quite soup weather here yet, but this sounds like a good one
It looks very comforting and delicious!
To be fair, we enjoy revisiting some of your old recipes (or, at least I do). Hope your headache goes away soon. I rarely have those, but when I do, I just hide in a cold, dark room with my friends, Advil and water.
This looks so healthy and good! So glad the cooler weather is approaching to enjoy this!
Very appetizing soup. Hope you feel better very soon.
Curtains closed and ice packs = a migraine type headache. Thankfully, I have only had this type of headache a few times, but it was not fun. I hope you feel better soon, Pam! Thanks for reminding us about this delicious soup!
This looks delicious, frugal, and healthy – my favorite kind of recipe. Pinning it now. Thanks so much. Hope your headache is all gone.
Oh no, that’s miserable! I hope you get to feeling better soon!
Oh, I feel your pain and hope you feel better soon. The early fall pollen has been terrible this week and I’ve been feeling like my face was going to fall off. You inspired me to make a big pot of pantry soup, and it is really helping a lot. I’m putting a few containers in the freezer for the winter colds that are sure to come. Thanks, and feel better.
Oh no! Hope you are feeling better!! This soup sounds like it’s just the thing to give you a little bit of comfort!
I hope you feel better now. Soups are especially good when you feel sick. I would always give my kids soup when they have fever or colds. I usually prepare a hot dumpling soup and fill it with the perfect ratio of ground pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, and wood ear mushroom so every bite is savory, luscious, and crunchy.
Delicious and healthy! Used bay leaves and thyme for the herbs, but will try the basil and oregano next time I make this soup.