Name: Italian Orzo Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp olive oil; 1 medium white onion, diced; 1 C peeled, sliced carrots; 1 C celery, diced; 3 cloves peeled, minced garlic; 8 C low sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock); 1 (14 oz) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes; 1 1/2 C (8 oz) orzo pasta; 1/2 tsp dried thyme; 1/4 tsp dried oregano; 1/4 tsp dried rosemary; 4 C loosely packed spinach; Salt and pepper to taste

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A healthy, hearty, veggie-packed, Italian orzo soup that is only 162 calories per serving! With pops of flavor from the fire-roasted tomatoes, this soup will have you saying "chicken noodle, who?"

'Tis the season for soups! My 30 Minute Feel Better Chicken Soup from last flu season had me aching (not physically, I'm not infected with anything....yet...) for some new go-to soup recipes for this winter. Pinterest is full of all the standards. Chili. Chicken noodle soup. Broccoli and cheddar. Blah blah blah. Don't get me wrong, there are some killer recipes for the staples out there, as well as some bomb change ups to the originals, but I was searching for something a little more unique.

I found this recipe for an Italian Orzo Spinach Soup from food bloggess Ali at Gimme Some Oven and it was just what I was looking for! Embarrassingly enough, I'm about 7 months away from marrying my 100% Italian fiancé and yet I've never made orzo. Nor do I fully understand if it identifies as a rice or a pasta. However, I now know it is a pasta. And it is just shaped like rice. Which is very deceiving and confusing. Aaaand this has been your monthly reminder that I am a food blogger and not a chef.

ITALIAN ORZO SOUP

162 calories per serving

You'll start this recipe by prepping all your veggies! Dice up one small white onion, 1 C of celery and peel and slice 1 C of carrots. Peel and mince 3 cloves of garlic as well.

Next, place a large stockpot over medium-high heat and add in 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in the diced onion and sauté until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Toss in the carrots, celery and garlic and continue to sauté for about another 3 minutes.Pour in 8 cups of low sodium chicken stock (which can be substituted for vegetable stock if you wish), a 14 oz can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 ½ C (8 oz) of orzo pasta, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, and ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally.Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until orzo is al dente.Stir in 4 C of loosely-packed spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes or until it is bright green and wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste, as well as any additional thyme, oregano, and rosemary, if you'd like. Enjoy! Serve warm. Leftovers can simply be microwaved for a minute or two! 🙂