* This is a sponsored post for Tideford Organics *
This vegetable packed Orzo Soup is all done in one pan for a fuss free comforting meal that will warm you up on a cold day. Quick and easy, adaptable and full of flavour - what more could you want from a soup?
This is a small batch vegetable soup, that is all done in one pan for minimal mess. You can easily double or triple this recipe, as it's great for batch cooking and freezing.
You can adapt it to use whatever you have in your fridge, and make it a different way every time. If you have never tried orzo, then this soup is a great place to start.
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Why you should try it
- A vegetable packed soup - If you struggle to eat enough vegetables, then this is the soup for you as it is packed full of nutritious vegetables.
- Vegan - This is a hearty vegan soup.
- Easy to adapt - use this as a base recipe and then adapt with your favourite vegetables and protein.
- A great way to use up vegetables - Because it is so easy to adapt, it makes it a great way to use up whatever vegetables you have in your fridge that need using.
- Filling - The orzo and beans in this soup make it super filling.
- Can be batch cooked - We made this as a small batch soup, but you can easily double the recipe to make more.
What you will need
- Onions and carrot - This is the base of any great soup. You can save yourself some time and effort by using frozen onions. Dice the carrots very small, so that they soften once cooked, unless you like some bite to your carrots.
- Celery - This isn't a must, but we find it adds some nice texture to the soup. You can leave it out though.
- Red pepper - An easy way to add a touch of sweetness to the soup, and it adds a nice pop of colour too.
- Garlic - You can use frozen garlic or some lazy garlic from a jar to make this soup really easy.
- Vegetable Stock - Try to use the best quality that you can, as you really will taste the difference. If you are making this for really small children, then use a low salt stock.
- Butterbeans - This adds some protein to the soup, as well as some chunky texture. You can swap them for any canned beans though, and chickpeas work well and they are also cheap.
- Tomatoes - We used tinned chopped tomatoes. Try to use the best quality that you can, as cheap tinned tomatoes tend to be really watery and that's not what you want.
- Orzo - This helps the soup to be really filling. You will find it with the pasta in your supermarket.
- Dried herbs - We used dried thyme and basil, but oregano will work too.
- Spinach - We are big fans of anything that we can give a bit green vegetable boost too, and it's really easy to just throw some spinach in at the end of this cooking. You could swap the spinach for kale, but that might need cooking a little longer to soften it up.
Step by step
One: Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, celery, carrot and red pepper. Cook on a low heat until softened (about 8-10 minutes). Stir in the garlic.
Two: Add the beans, tomatoes and herbs. Mix well.
Three: Add the orzo and stock, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Four: Add the spinach and simmer until it has wilted.
What is orzo?
To put it simply, it's like rice, but pasta. It is the same shape and similar size to rice, but made of white flour. It's a store cupboard staple for us, because there are so many different ways to use it.
It's great for adding in to a soup because it makes it much more hearty and filling, but it is small enough that you can still load it on to your spoon with all the other ingredients. Whatever soup you would add noodles or rice to, try orzo instead.
How to adapt
The great thing about a vegetable soup is that it is so easy to adapt. As long as all the vegetables cook at a similar rate, then it's all good. Some other vegetables that we like to add to this orzo soup are:
- Roasted red pepper
- Courgette
- Chopped cabbage
- Sweetcorn
- Peas
- Green beans
- Butternut squash
What to serve with Orzo Soup
This soup really does have it all. It is vegetable packed, it has a tonne of flavour, and it's filling too with the orzo. However, what takes this soup to the next level is the big spoonful of Tideford Organics Pesto on top.
Tideford Organics has been making award-winning organic soups and sauces in Devon for nearly 25 years. Its mission is to create high quality, simple, organic food, using the best possible ingredients - something we can definitely get on board with. Natural, gluten-free ingredients you’d find in your own kitchen.
We love their pestos and we have used the Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Pesto for this soup, as it just adds the most incredible flavour, that pairs perfectly with the vegetables. The pesto is vegan too, so it keeps the soup vegan.
However, if like us you just HAVE to have something to dip in your soup, then we have a few suggestions:
- Grilled cheese sandwich
- Easy Homemade Flatbreads
- Pita bread
- Tiger loaf
- Garlic and Rosemary Focaccia
FAQs
If you have leftovers of this soup, then it can be kept in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Yes, this is a really great soup it batch cook and freeze. Wait for the soup to completely cool, and then add to seal tight freezer bags and then lay them flat in the freezer. They will keep there for up to 3 months. Defrost the bags in the fridge and then heat through in a pan.
Yes, this soup is naturally vegan and goes to show that vegan food doesn't have to be boring. Make sure you use a vegan pesto like the Tideford one we used her to keep it vegan. If you are serving this to non vegans, then you could put a bowl of grated cheese on the side for adding on top, but it really doesn't need it.
This is a delicious meat free meal, and it really isn't missing anything. However, if you are serving this to someone that has to have meat with their meals, then why not add some leftover shredded chicken. Have you tried our Best Roast Chicken or Slow Cooker Whole Chicken? Cooked chopped up sausage is also a good addition.
Yes, you can easily cook this in the slow cooker. Follow the first step, and then add everything to the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. Depending on how "brothy" you like your soup, but might need to reduce the amount of stock added.
Extra tips
- Add some croutons on top for some extra crunch.
- Spice this soup up a little with a sprinkling of red chilli flakes before serving.
- If you are making this soup for young children, then use a low salt stock.
- Swap the butter beans for chickpea if you like.
- You can make a creamy version of this by adding a drizzle of a vegan cream alternative and mix it together.
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Recipe
Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 1 celery rib diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 240 g butter beans (drained weight)
- 400 g chopped tomatoes canned
- 150 g orzo
- 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme
- 0.5 teaspoon dried basil
- 0.5 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 60 g spinach
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion, celery, carrot and red pepper. Cook on a low heat until softened (about 8-10 minutes). Stir in the garlic.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, 1 medium carrot, 1 celery rib, 1 red bell pepper, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the beans, tomatoes and herbs and seasoning. Mix well.240 g butter beans, 400 g chopped tomatoes, 0.5 teaspoon dried thyme, 0.5 teaspoon dried basil, 0.5 teaspoon paprika, 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- Add the orzo and stock, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.150 g orzo, 750 ml vegetable stock
- Add the spinach and simmer until it has wilted.60 g spinach
Notes
- Add some croutons on top for some extra crunch.
- Spice this soup up a little with a sprinkling of red chilli flakes before serving.
- If you are making this soup for young children, then use a low salt stock.
- Swap the butter beans for chickpea if you like.
- You can make a creamy version of this by adding a drizzle of a vegan cream alternative and mix it together.
Journa
Love how fuzz free this recipe is! Love that it's one pot! Thanks for sharing!