Lemon Orzo Soup
This creamy soup features tender pasta, aromatic vegetables and herbs, fresh lemon, and parmesan cheese. It’s an ultra-satisfying, quick-and-easy, one-pot meal the whole family will adore.
You will love the marriage of flavors in this soup. The bright lemon partners perfectly with the nutty cheese, sweet vegetables, and fragrant herbs. The tangy lemon adds a pop of fresh flavor while catapulting the rest of the ingredients in the dish.
This dish is vegetarian, but you can add chicken if you want. Truth is, I debated adding chicken to this soup, and then decided to try something unlike anything I’ve made before. If you want to add chicken, simply add about 1/2 pound raw or cooked, diced chicken when you add the orzo. But you really don’t need it!
Lemon Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped onion, any color
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or a combination of oregano, basil and thyme
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, plus more to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley for serving, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Melt the butter and olive oil together in a large saucepan or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the flour and stir to coat.
- Add the broth, Italian seasoning, and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 10 minutes, until the orzo is tender, stirring frequently to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Fold in the parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with fresh parsley, if using.