Description
A healthy, hearty, meatless soup with spinach, white beans, orzo, and lemon juice. Easily made in under 30 minutes. Optional additions include sausage for a meat version.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil
4 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 cups baby spinach
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and onion, cook until translucent (2–3 minutes).
3. Stir in thyme and basil, cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Whisk in vegetable stock, bay leaves, and 1 cup water; bring to a boil.
5. Stir in orzo; reduce heat and simmer until tender (10–12 minutes).
6. Add spinach and beans; cook until spinach is wilted (about 2 minutes).
7. Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper.
8. Serve immediately.
Notes
Optional: Add andouille or Italian sausage for a non-vegetarian version.
Variations from commenters include adding chicken, Parmesan, lemon zest, carrots, potatoes, or substituting quinoa for orzo.
Can be doubled, refrigerated for a few days, or possibly frozen.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Soup Recipes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 580mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 0mg