This vegetable orzo soup is fresh, vibrant and vegetarian. It’s full of seasonal ingredients like spinach and fennel. Because it’s meatless, it comes together in 30 minutes or less making it very weeknight-friendly!
So I think I nailed it with this one. We’re big soup fans in my household and once I had this idea I needed it to be perfect.
No huge chunks of clunky vegetables. Big flavor broth. Lot’s of fresh herbs. A spring soup that helps you bridge the gap between warmer weather one day and snow the next.
The result is a beautiful, vibrant bowl that is just the epitome of a feel-good meal.
Here’s what you need to make my spring vegetable orzo soup:
Ingredients for Orzo Vegetable Soup:
- shallots
- fennel & carrots
- garlic
- fennel seeds
- vegetable broth
- orzo
- spinach
- chickpeas
- fresh lemon juice
- for topping: lemon zest, fresh dill, sour cream or yogurt, fresh ground black pepper
There is some chopping and vegetable prep involved here so I’m not going to pretend it’s the most low-maintenance thing you’ve ever made. BUT, I do have a few tips for speeding things up.
Tips for Faster Vegetable Prep
- Use a mandoline to thinly slice the fennel and carrots. This also makes for a quicker cook.
- Grate the garlic using a microplane instead of mincing (or use these frozen garlic cubes!)
- Use pre-washed, bagged baby spinach. This is a great way to quickly add greens to just about any meal.
The finishing touches really make this soup, so be sure not to skip them. I was inspired by this chicken noodle soup recipe and now I add sour cream or yogurt, herbs and lemon to most of my brothy homemade soups. It adds such a silky texture and satisfying mouthfeel, without that rich and overly heavy cream soup vibe.
Who else is team dill?
Soups really are so forgiving, so take this idea and riff on it based on what you have and love! Here are some substitution questions you might have:
Vegetable Orzo Soup FAQs
Yep. Orzo cooks fast (like 7 minutes), but you can also try another small pasta like orecchiette or even Israeli couscous.
I often use plain whole milk yogurt (siggi’s 4% is my fave). The inspiration recipe that I linked above calls for crème fraîche which is fantastic but I don’t usually keep it on hand.
Yes. You may need to cook them a bit longer (step 2 in the recipe card), but it will still work just fine.
If you give this one a go I would love to hear about it! Be sure to add a star rating and comment below if you do. It is so helpful for others!
More spring recipes:
PrintSpring Vegetable Orzo Soup
This vegetable orzo soup is fresh, vibrant and vegetarian. It’s full of seasonal ingredients like spinach and fennel. Because it’s meatless, it comes together in 30 minutes or less making it very weeknight-friendly!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings
- Category: Mains, Entreés
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 bulb fennel, sliced thin
- 2 carrots, sliced thin
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6–8 cups vegetable stock (per preference)
- 1 cup dried orzo
- 3 ounces baby spinach
- 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 lemon, juiced
- for topping: lemon zest, fresh dill, sour cream, flaky salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or stock pot over medium.
- Add shallots, carrots and fennel and cook for a few minutes until just softened. Add garlic, fennel seeds and salt. Stir and cook for an additional minute until garlic is fragrant.
- Add broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and cook for 7 minutes. Turn off heat.
- Stir in chickpeas, spinach and lemon juice.
- To serve: ladle soup into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream, lemon zest, flaky salt, fresh ground black pepper, and lot’s of fresh dill (torn).
Notes
- The equipment section above provides affiliate links to things I use often in my kitchen and love.
- If you reheat this soup as leftovers, you may need to add more broth since the orzo will naturally soak up liquid as it sits.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 300 calories
- Fat: 10 grams
- Carbohydrates: 44 grams
- Fiber: 6 grams
- Protein: 10 grams
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Julie says
This recipe was prepped late Saturday night and ate it Sunday after church. It is a perfect spring soup.
I had somehow never bought or used fennel, so thank you for the push!
Jess says
This was so flavorful and filling! I’d never cooked with Fennel before, but it was so easy and my kids loved it too. Will definitely be making this again!
Emily Murtaugh says
Another win! The lemon and dill really lighten this up. A great spring addition. Easy on a week night too.
Jaclyn says
What a good soup! Nice and light, and the lemon juice at the end gives it a good brightness. We made some sandwiches to go with it, and it was the perfect weeknight meal.
Lani Morris says
So delicious! This Orzo Soup was the perfect meal on a dreary day. It was hearty and filled me up and had lots of flavor. My first time using a fennel bulb and it was so yummy.