Italian Orzo Spinach Soup

Last winter I made an Italian Orzo Spinach Soup recipe that I found online. I remember it being OK but not loving it. It was pretty cold today and is supposed to be the rest of the week too, so I decided to give this recipe another try tonight, with a few modifications.

Below is the recipe as I made it. The changes I made from the recipe link above are that I used rosemary & oregano diced tomatoes instead of fire-roasted since I did not like how those tasted the first time I made it, and I remember the soup needed more flavor so I thought these might work better than just regular diced tomatoes. I also remember the carrots were still pretty raw by the time the soup was done, so I cooked those first this time before adding the other veggies. I increased the amount of chicken broth since I know I will be eating this for several nights and the orzo will absorb a lot of it. I simmered the soup for about 30 minutes before adding the orzo, hoping that giving all the flavors a chance to combine would give the soup more taste. I used regular orzo instead of whole wheat, and I used 1 cup instead of 1 1/2 cups. I also tend to season my soup pretty well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, which I found it needed.

I didn't want to get my hopes up in case this soup did not come out better than last year, but it tasted much better! This recipe took about an hour to make and I will probably get 5 nights worth of dinner out of it. I made this in my 7 1/4-quart dutch oven with plenty of room to spare, so a 5-quart dutch oven or stockpot would work perfectly. Since I didn't have any fresh bread, I had Mini Saltine Crackers with this, which are delicious with soup (as are Oyster Crackers).

This is a great, quick meatless meal, but you can certainly add Italian sausage or chicken to it. You can also add other veggies and use your favorite kind of pasta, and make any other modifications you wish to make it more to your liking. If you prefer more broth in your soup, you should add more stock. I will likely have to add a bit more when reheating this during the week. You could also cook your pasta separately and add it into the soup by the bowl, which is what my mom always does when she makes minestrone. I am glad I didn't give up on this recipe, and I will definitely make it again!

Italian Orzo Spinach Soup

Recipe Adapted from Gimme Some Oven Blog

This delicious Italian Orzo Spinach Soup is simple, flavorful, and so comforting.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced celery

1 small white onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

8 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 (14-ounce) can Hunt’s Rosemary & Oregano Diced Tomatoes, with juice

½ teaspoon dried thyme

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon dried rosemary

1 cup Orzo pasta

4 cups loosely packed baby spinach

Salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a 5-quart stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrots and sauté for 4 minutes. Add celery, onion and garlic and sauté for 7 minutes or until all vegetables are cooked to your liking. Add chicken stock, diced tomatoes, thyme, oregano, and rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

After soup has simmered for 30 minutes, add orzo. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.

Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Season the soup with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Serves 4-6.

 

Diced carrots

Diced celery

All veggies

Simmer for 30 minutes

Add orzo

Add spinach

Enjoy!

Photos by JoJo

Orzo Salad

Since summer is just around the corner, I thought I'd post one of my favorite pasta recipes to bring to cookouts. It's an orzo salad with a red wine vinaigrette. My sisters and I have been making this for a few years, and it's always a popular dish for any event we've brought it to. It's very simple to make, healthy, and delicious!

The original recipe can be found here.

Orzo Salad

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis

ORZO:

4 cups chicken broth
1½ cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1½ cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
¾ cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
About ¾ cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Yield: 6 servings (4 recipes fills a big Tupperware bowl)

RED WINE VINAIGRETTE:

½ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Yield: 1¾ cups (this makes enough vinaigrette for 2 recipes)

Cooked Orzo

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Orzo, veggies & vinaigrette mixed together

Photos by JoJo