Creamy Vegetable Orzo Soup
This simple five ingredient Creamy Vegetable Orzo Soup is vegan, gluten free and ready in under 20 minutes!
This week we woke up to a surprise. A bulldozer, dump truck, skid steer and small army of construction workers were assembled in our cul de sac, looking rather curious. Naturally, we were also curious as to what this army of workers were planning on doing to our street.
We hadn’t been notified of potential work being done or given any clue at all to what they might be up to. As Mr. Maebell and I stood at the window sipping our coffee, they began tearing out our road. Yep, our road.
They snapped the curb in half like it was a tiny twig and got to digging. Turns out the puddle (seriously, just a puddle) that forms at the end of our drive ways during heavy rain was cause for concern, so the city decided to completely tear out the road, curb and a section of our driveway to fix the problem.
You know, all without mentioning it to the home owners. Makes sense, right? Fortunately, we were able to run outside and get our cars moved before they totally ruined everything and we were blocked in, but getting in and out of the house has been hard the last couple days.
There is nothing better for stressful situations than a big pot of comfort food! Usually I go for something with meat for Mr. Maebell- like this Easy Bacon Cheeseburger Mac or Chicken Spaghetti, but I wanted something a little lighter this evening.
Ingredients for Creamy Vegetable Orzo Soup
As always, here is a quick overview of the ingredients needed for this Orzo Soup. For the complete recipe, just keep scrolling.
- Frozen veggies- I used a “mixed veggie soup” bag
- Vegetable broth- if you aren’t vegetarian, chicken broth will work fine
- Orzo- I used gluten free but whatever you have on hand will work.
- Pesto- store bought or homemade are both fine here.
- Almond milk- if you aren’t dairy free, you can use milk, half and half or heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
But I have been on a really big vegetarian kick lately. We haven’t eaten much meat at all, but anything loaded with veggies has hit the sweet spot for me! I have lived off this wrap and this risotto lately.
But I was thinking of a nice warm bowl of soup packed to the brim with tons of vegetables and a tangy kick from some pesto! This soup just has five real ingredients. It is vegan (depending on the pesto you use), dairy free, gluten free and low calorie!
This Orzo Soup can be prepared in just one pot in under 20 minutes. Seriously, this is the kind of dinner everyone needs on their menu! A warm bowl of soup can seriously cure the worst days, in my opinion.
To start out, I use a bag of frozen vegetables and a good quality vegetable broth (or chicken broth if you prefer) for the base. You can use any assortment of veggies you wish, but I shop at Publix most often and they have a really great frozen package called the soup blend. It has tomatoes, potatoes, lima beans, okra, bell pepper, onion, basically everything you would want in a soup!
I love this mix because it is nice and hearty, but any assortment will do. Then I add some gluten free orzo pasta, a heaping dose of pesto and a bit of almond milk to make it ultra rich and creamy. Of course, salt and pepper to finish things off.
From start to finish you can have this done in well under 30 minutes with no chopping, or precooking required. Isn’t that the best? This is the ultimate quick and easy dinner perfect for those hectic weeknights!
How do you make Vegetable Orzo Soup?
Here is how we make it! First, in a medium sized dutch oven or a large pot, bring your frozen veggies and broth to a simmer over medium high heat. Next, add the orzo and pesto to the pot and reduce the heat to medium low.
Cover your soup and allow it to simmer for ten minutes. After ten minutes, stir your soup and check your orzo to make sure it is tender. If the orzo is tender, add your almond milk and season with salt and pepper.
There you go! A delicious, warm and filling soup in no time flat! Also, this soup only requires one pot, so clean up is quick!
What do you serve with Creamy Orzo Soup?
To me, soup needs bread. It just does! Here are some of my favorites:
Other Comfort Foods You May Enjoy
- Instant Pot Keto Beef Stew
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Pork Chops with Mushroom Cream Sauce (keto + low carb)
Get the Recipe: Creamy Vegetable Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce package frozen veggies (I used a "mixed veggie soup" mix)
- 1 32 ounce container vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 3/4 cup gluten free orzo, uncooked
- 1/4 cup Almond milk, if not dairy free you can use milk, half and half or heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium to large size pot or dutch oven, combine the frozen veggies and broth. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.
- Add orzo and pesto and reduce heat to medium low. Allow soup to simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
- Stir soup and check orzo for tenderness. If the orzo is tender, stir in the almond milk and season with salt and pepper.
You had me at pesto and orzo! This soup sounds SO good! I could eat soup just about every day, so I’m loving the fresh ingredients in here!
Construction is the WORST but even more so if it’s right outside your own house! I feel for ya, girl! And about this soup…uh, NEED! I’m a total freak for pesto so this is right up my alley!
That almond milk is definitely a staple in my kitchen. Love this easy way to enjoy it in a weeknight dinner!
What an easy recipe! I love Almond Breeze and this soup looks delicious- love the pesto! Pinning 🙂
That’s horrible about those construction workers — ugh! I suppose this soup definitely brought you some comfort because it looks seriously amazing! I love that you added orzo and pesto — two of my favorite things. This soup would really hit the spot!
Ugh, they’re working on the waterline on our street and it is so LOUD! I want to go out to the workers with their jackhammers and say “Shhhh! My baby is sleeping!” Hahaha! This soup sounds delicious! And easy as could be.
That’s just awful!! I bet you the city had extra cash that they had to spend so they found the puddle… at least that’s what happens around here. 😀
Your soup, though? I love it!! Orzo and pesto in one – that’s always a YES!!
This is just simply perfect for the weather ahead. So comforting too!!
What a mess that must have been! Hopefully it will be over for you soon. This soup looks so delicious with such great ingredients too. I especially love that it’s low calorie and easy to make too.
I LOVE soups with orzo. So good!
I’m seriously obsessed with pesto – I put it on pretty much everything, but I’ve never added it to soup! I can’t believe that, and now I’ve got to make some ASAP. This looks amazing.
Where did you find gluten free orzo?! I’ve never seen it and I miss orzo salads so much!
Hi Sharon! Isn’t it so great they have it?! I found it at Kroger in the ethnic food aisle. It is so good! Here is a link to the same product on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/DeLallo-Gluten-Free-Corn-12-Ounce/dp/B008O2FOA2
Love how easy this is!
What a comforting and delicious soup, love that you used orzo.