Easy Italian Spinach Orzo Soup! Looking for a quick and healthy meal that’s packed with flavor? Look no further than this tasty soup!
This delightful Easy Italian Spinach Orzo Soup comes together in no time, making it perfect for busy weeknights or a cozy weekend lunch. The star of the show is the lightly flavored tomato broth, which is not only delicious but also brimming with nutrients. With every spoonful, you’ll enjoy the vibrant taste of fresh spinach and tender orzo pasta, all while keeping things oil-free and wholesome.
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.
Hi there, Ameera here!
If you’re craving something that’s delicious and lightly flavored, then this Italian soup is just what you need! Each spoonful is a nourishing blend of fresh ingredients that truly hits the spot, making it an ideal choice for lunch or dinner – yum!
You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This Italian Spinach Orzo Soup is classic Italian soup. Traditionally this dish is heavy in olive oil and both Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses; however, this WFPB dish does not use any of these ingredients, yet the broth is light on the palate, yet flavorful. This quick and easy soup is great for a fast, satisfying lunch or dinner.
- Low-Fat Dish Expectations: This dish was designed to be low in fat. Because it is low in fat, you are not going to experience that endorphin rush associated with eating high-fat foods when eating this dish. It is very tasty for what it is, and that is a low-fat dish. We just want to make sure that our Readers recognize this when contemplating making this recipe. If you wish to make it more indulgent, add the Vegan Parmesan Cheese on individual servings. The vegan parmesan cheese totally takes it over the top.
- Herbs/Spices: This soup is intentionally lightly flavored, it was designed especially for individuals who are looking for a lighter-flavored soup featuring fresh flavor and less herbs. You can easily increase the herb/spices if you wish, do so after you add in the greens to gain a better understanding of the flavor profile.
- Greens: Greens such as spinach and kale are natural spice/herb neutralizers. A soup/stew can taste perfectly seasoned before adding the greens, then once the greens are added, the flavor mellows requiring more seasoning.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes. We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the tomato paste and petite diced tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. If you prefer that tinny taste that is typically associated with canned tomatoes, feel free to leave it out or only add a pinch.
- Orzo Pasta Substitutions: Feel free to use your favorite petite cut pasta (such as couscous or ditalini).
- Gluten Free Pasta: Feel free to use gluten free pasta, we suggest keeping it separate from the broth as gluten free pastas tend to make soup broths murky from the excess starches.
- Soup Pasta Restaurant Style: This soup is best served restaurant style. Most restaurants keep the pasta/noodles separate from soup broths. The cooked pasta/noodles are spooned into individual bowls, then the hot soup broth is poured over top. This trick accomplishes several things. First it keeps the integrity of the pasta/noodles in great shape and doesn’t allow them to get mushy. It also preserves the soup broth. Pasta/Noodles are very thirsty, and they will suck up all the soup broth and you are left with a very thick soup-stew. If you keep the soup and pasta/noodles separate and refrigerate the leftovers, you may find the pasta/noodles stiff, sticky, and clumped together. All you need to do is place some of the cold, refrigerated, cooked pasta/noodles into a colander and rinse with hot tap water, gently loosen them with your fingers.
- Optional Topper – Vegan Parmesan Cheese: We used our recipe, Vegan Parmesan Cheese. Feel free to use your favorite vegan parmesan cheese recipe. A sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese on individual servings really elevates this dish.
- Regular Chili Powder: Feel free to use your favorite chili powder, just be sure to select a mild one and not one that has a lot of heat to it. The chili powder used in this recipe is used to add depth of flavor and is not discernable as ‘chili powder’ to the palate.
- Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This dish can be frozen.
Pantry Products:
- Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Equipment:
- Large stock pot
If you try this comforting soup, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
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Easy Italian Spinach Orzo Soup
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 8 Cups 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This delightful Easy Italian Spinach Orzo Soup comes together in no time, making it perfect for busy weeknights or a cozy weekend lunch.
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 3 cups water
- 1 – [ 14.5 oz. can ] petite diced tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried basil (+/-)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (+/-)
- ½ teaspoon regular chili powder (+/-) *
- ¼ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-)
- Pinch to ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Other Ingredients:
- 2 to 3 cups cooked orzo pasta *
- 3 to 4 cups (lightly packed) chopped baby spinach *
Serving Ideas:
- Sprinkle Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Boil the orzo pasta according to package directions, drain and rinse with cold water, set aside.
- Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients into a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
- In a large stockpot, sauté the chopped onions for 7 to 9 minutes over medium-high heat or until perfectly tender. Add a splash of water to prevent sticking/burning if needed.
- Add the minced garlic and tomato paste to the pot, continue to sauté over medium-high heat for 1 minute.
- Next add all the remaining Base Ingredients (except the baking soda) and the Spice/Herb Mix, stir well, bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer, add the baking soda, stir well. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Then add all the Other Ingredients (see blog post on orzo pasta), stir well, simmer for 5 minutes.
- Top individual servings with a sprinkle of Vegan Parmesan Cheese, enjoy!
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Serving: 4 (makes 8 cups)
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