Vegan Lemon Orzo Soup Recipe (2024)

Published: Mar 17, 2021 · Modified: Jun 10, 2021 by Nisha Melvani, RDN · This post may contain affiliate links · 11 Comments

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This recipe for Vegan Lemon Orzo Soup uses simple pantry-friendly ingredients to make a fresh and delicious, protein-rich meal. It uses just one pot, and cooks in about 8 minutes.

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This soup is perfect for when you're in the mood for an easy, light, and healthy dinner. Although it's a simple recipe, there's a lot of flavor and comfort in this bowl of goodness.

More Scrumptious Chickpea Recipes:

Roasted Salad with Chickpeas

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🥣 Why This Recipe Is Fabulous
👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🧅 Substitutes
📖 How to Make Vegan Lemon Orzo Soup
✔️ Expert Tips
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽 Related Recipes
👩🏽‍🍳 Made This Recipe?
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🥣 Why This Recipe Is Fabulous

The ingredients are budget-friendly and pantry-friendly.
This recipe is perfect for when you are feeling under the weather. It's comforting and warming.
It's simple to make, with minimal prep and a short cooking time.
Even though it uses simple ingredients, it's still a balanced dinner. There's protein from the chickpeas, greens from the kale, carbohydrates from the pasta, and more veggies.
It's easy to make this recipe oil-free.

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Chickpeas replace the chicken in this Lemon Orzo Soup. They add fiber and protein and can be roasted or sautéed to add more texture to this soup.
Kale is a veggie superstar for good reason. High in nutrients, and very low in calories, it's among the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. It offers the benefits of dark leafy greens but with lower oxalate levels. Kale is also a good source of calcium which is sometimes lacking in vegan diets.
Miso paste adds an umami 'meaty' flavor to this soup.
Onion
Garlic
Carrots
Orzo
Lemon

See the recipe card for quantities.

🧅 Substitutes

Onion - use any variety of onion
Chickpeas - use plain or roasted chickpeas, white beans, pinto beans, or omit them entirely
Mellow miso - use tamari or soy sauce instead to taste
Olive oil - for oil-free, use vegetable broth instead

For another comforting sick-day soup recipe, check out my Vegan Chicken Noodle Soup. Try these comforting soup and stew recipes.

📖 How to Make Vegan Lemon Orzo Soup

Step 1. Start by heating olive oil or vegetable broth in a medium saucepan. Once the oil is hot, you're going to add the onions and carrots.

Cook until the onions are translucent, and then add the garlic and sweet paprika and cook for one minute more to develop flavor.

Step 2. Add vegetable broth, water, chickpeas, and orzo. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking.

Step 3. Once the pasta is cooked, add the dissolved miso, and fresh lemon juice. Give the soup a good stir before mixing in the kale. Add salt and black pepper to taste.

✔️ Expert Tips

Do not overcook or the pasta will be mushy. Stir frequently.
Storage: Refrigerate leftover Vegan Lemon Orzo Soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or add the orzo for serving, and refrigerate the soup portion without pasta for up to 5 days.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

What are the benefits of eating carrots?

The best-known carrot superpower is that they're good for your eyes. This is because they're loaded with beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. This antioxidant is what gives them their orange color. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals in our body. Too many free radicals may increase our risk of cancer, so we want lots of antioxidants around!

What is miso?

Miso is a fermented paste made by inoculating a mixture of soybeans, grain (like barley or rice), and salt with koji (a mold). It's a key ingredient in Japanese cooking and has a texture similar to peanut butter. It should be dissolved in water before using or it may remain in chunks, which can be very unpleasant to bite into!
Miso adds an umami flavor, and earthy taste to this soup. It is, however, a high-sodium food and should therefore be used sparingly.

What is orzo?

is a thin, oval, rice-shaped pasta. It is made from semolina, a coarser, golden flour that comes from durum wheat. You can also purchase a whole-wheat version. It has the perfect texture for making a pilaf, and a cooking time of 15 minutes, the same as white rice, which is why this combination works so well. It is traditionally used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, especially in Greek and Italian dishes.

Best Miso Noodle Soup
Vegan Red Beans and Rice Recipe
Easy Creamy Mushroom Soup (Vegan)
Creamy White Bean Skillet Meal (20 Minutes)

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