Tomato Orzo Soup

Published: Feb 18, 2019 · Modified: May 9, 2025 by Fida | Sweet and Savoury Pursuits · This post may contain affiliate links · 43 Comments

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This easy Tomato Orzo Soup is quick to make, uses simple ingredients and is as delicious as it is healthy and hearty.

If you like this soup, you may also want to try this Creamy Chicken Noodle and Vegetable Soup.

Tomato orzo soup served in large white mugs.

This delicious recipe for a homemade Tomato Orzo Soup is the perfect soup to make when you are craving something warming and comforting. And just like this simple Red Lentil Soup it is filling and nutritious and on regular rotation during soup season!

Homemade tomato orzo soup topped with grated Parmesan and served in large white mugs.

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How to Make it
Ingredients Overview
Steps Overview
Variations
Serving Suggestions
Storage Instructions
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Tomato Orzo Soup

How to Make it

This soup couldn't be easier to make. Here's an overview of the simple ingredients needed to make this vegetarian tomato orzo soup. You can see the ingredient amounts and detailed step-by-step instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Ingredients Overview

Olive oil and butter
Garlic, onion, carrots and celery
Broth: Vegetable or chicken can be used depending on whether you need the soup to be vegetarian.
Crushed tomatoes or you can use canned diced tomatoes (fire-roasted ones are really delicious).
Salt, pepper and Italian seasonings such as dried bay leaves, oregano and basil are used to flavor the soup. You can also add some red pepper flakes if you would like to make it spicy.
Orzo pasta: This is a short pasta that resembles a large grain of rice. If you don't have it in your pantry, you can use macaroni or any other short-cut pasta, even broken up spaghetti works. Use gluten-free pasta if you need the soup to be gluten-free.
Spinach: This is added near the end of cooking but can be omitted if you don't have it or just prefer to leave it out.

Steps Overview

To make this soup, heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot. Add the chopped aromatics and cook them over medium-high heat.
Add the broth, crushed tomatoes and their juices. Season the soup with salt and black pepper and the Italian seasonings.
Let the soup come to a boil and add the uncooked orzo. Lower the heat to a simmer and let the pasta cook in the soup until it's al dente.
Add the spinach, cook for 2 to 3 minutes until it wilts and the soup is ready to serve.

Tip: An alternative way of cooking this soup is to cook the pasta partway in a separate pot, then add it to the rest of the ingredients and let it finish cooking in the soup. Doing it this way prevents the pasta from absorbing too much of the soup broth. Ina Garten uses this method in her tomato soup recipe.

Variations

There are lots of ways you can vary this tomato pasta soup. Here are some suggestions:

Add more vegetables. Peas, corn, green beans and cauliflower are all great options.
Add chickpeas, kidney or black beans.
If you don't need to keep this soup vegetarian, you can shred leftover rotisserie chicken and add it a few minutes before serving for a chicken orzo soup.
Add cooked sausage, you can use mild or hot Italian sausage.
For a meatball orzo soup, add beef, chicken or turkey meatballs, mini meatballs are especially fun for kids.

Tomato Orzo Soup with freshly grated Parmesan cheese in large white mug.

Serving Suggestions

Top the soup with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and if available a few thinly sliced fresh basil leaves would also be delicious.

You can also serve the soup with slices of warm crusty bread or garlic bread. If you've got some extra time on your hands, make a batch of these Sweet Potato, Parmesan and Rosemary Biscuits or these Mini Cornbread Muffins and serve them warm along with the soup.

Storage Instructions

When at room temperature, poor leftover orzo soup into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to five days. I do not recommend freezing leftovers since pasta tends to become mushy after thawing.

Enjoy!

More Delicious Soup Recipes

Tomato Orzo Soup

Made with simple ingredients, this easy and quick to make homemade vegetarian Tomato Orzo Soup is a delicious, hearty and healthy meal.

4.65 from 89 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Soup

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings

Calories 169 kcal

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion diced
3 medium garlic cloves minced
1 cup carrots chopped
1 cup celery chopped
6 cups broth vegetable or chicken
2 cups crushed tomatoes or strained tomatoes or tomato sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf optional
¾ cup orzo pasta or pasta of choice
5 cups spinach
Optional Topping: Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add onion, saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots and celery and saute for an additional 4 minutes.
Add broth, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, dried basil, dried oregano and season with salt and pepper. Let the soup come to a boil and add the orzo or pasta of choice. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally so orzo doesn't stick.
Taste to adjust seasoning and add spinach. Once wilted, remove bay leaves and serve soup with freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil (if available).

Notes

Store leftover tomato orzo soup into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to five days.
Nutrition data doesn't include optional Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 5gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 1096mgPotassium: 552mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 6715IUVitamin C: 17.6mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 2.2mg

Keyword Orzo and Tomato Soup, Orzo Soup, Tomato Orzo Soup, Tomato Soup, Tomato Vegetable Soup

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