Orzo Vegetable Soup
Updated Mar 14, 2026
Vegetable Orzo Soup with orzo, zucchini, carrots, celery, and tomatoes cooked in vegetable broth. A quick one-pot vegetarian soup with 10โ15 minutes prep.
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Orzo Vegetable Soup is soo good!
I really love orzo in soup. It’s basically a way to have pasta in soup without dealing with big noodles that take over the whole bowl. The pieces are small, but they still have a nice chew, and you can actually get the broth and vegetables in the same bite.
I usually end up making this vegetable orzo soup every August and September when zucchini starts piling up. It’s a good way to use a couple of them at once, but really this vegetable orzo soup works with whatever vegetables you have around. It’s completely vegetarian and pretty straightforward, which is probably why I come back to it so often.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Orzo Vegetable Soup Ingredients
- Orzo Soup base. Olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, and garlic are the start of this vegetable orzo soup. I usually use yellow onion here, but white onion works too. Chop everything fairly evenly so the vegetables cook at the same rate. Cutting the carrots and celery into small slices helps them soften faster in the soup. This recipe is essentially using a mirepoix.
- Orzo. Dry orzo cooks directly in the soup. Stir it occasionally while it cooks so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. If the soup sits for a while, the orzo will keep absorbing liquid and thicken the soup.
- Zucchini. Cut the zucchini into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly. Adding it near the end keeps it from getting too soft.
- Tomato base. Tomato paste and canned diced tomatoes. Cook the tomato paste with the vegetables for a minute or two before adding the broth so it blends into the soup better.
- Seasoning. Oregano, salt, and black pepper. Dried oregano works well here, but you can swap in Italian seasoning if that’s what you have.
- Broth. Low-sodium vegetable broth. Using low-sodium broth makes it easier to adjust the salt at the end.
- Fresh basil. Top each bowl with chopped basil right before serving. If you don’t have fresh basil, you can leave it out or add ½ teaspoon dried basil earlier in the cooking process.
How to Make Orzo Vegetable Soup
Zucchini Orzo Soup Recipe
One-pot Vegetable Orzo Soup with zucchini, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and orzo simmered in vegetable broth. About 10–15 minutes of prep.
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 celery stalks cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices
- 3 carrots halved lengthwise, and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 14.5 ounce canned diced tomatoes
- ½ cup dry orzo
- 2 zucchinis halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook until softened, 5-6 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, oregano and salt, and cook until the tomato paste is darkened and starting to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the vegetable broth and diced tomatoes.
- Bring to a boil, then add the orzo and simmer until almost tender, 5-6 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini is tender and the orzo is fully cooked, 5 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and allow to rest until the orzo thickens, about 20 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary. Serve topped with fresh basil.
Notes
My Top Tip: Cut your zucchini and carrots into bite-sized pieces. This will help them cook evenly and ensure that each bite has a nice mix of veggies.
Storage: You can store your orzo vegetable soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. When you’re ready to eat, reheat it over the stovetop until warmed through. Just keep in mind, the orzo will get mushier over time!
Nutrition
Calories: 178kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Sodium: 643mg, Potassium: 774mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 5537IU, Vitamin C: 24mg, Calcium: 78mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
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Recipe Tips
- Don’t be afraid to add more salt. Depending on the brand of vegetable stock you’re using, this soup may need quite a bit of salt added at the end. So don’t forget to taste before serving, and season as necessary!
- Cook the orzo separately if you expect leftovers. Orzo continues to absorb liquid as the soup sits, which can make it soft the next day. If you know you’ll have leftovers, cook the orzo separately and add it to each bowl when serving.
- Cook the orzo just to al dente. Orzo will continue to soften slightly in the hot soup. Cooking it just to al dente helps it keep a good bite, especially since the vegetables in the soup are soft.
Serving Ideas
- Add protein to the mix. This soup is delicious as is, but you can also add some protein to make it a complete meal. Try cooked chicken, shrimp, or tofu.
- Serve with bread. I always keep some bread on hand to dip into this orzo soup. Try my garlic cheese bread (pictured), homemade pita bread, my garlic bread, or my skillet dinner rolls.
- Pair with a sandwich. I love a soup-sandwich combo, and this veggie soup is so good with a grilled mozzarella sandwich, a chicken caprese pesto panini, or a vegan avocado sandwich.
Comments
Thinking of making this next week but was wondering if I can substitute the veggie broth with bone broth (frozen)- and if so, do I keep the same amount or shall i dilute in water etc?
Hi Mirna, yes, you can use bone broth! Use the same amount. The main question is whether your bone broth is ready-to-drink broth or a more concentrated stock: If it’s a regular homemade bone broth that you’d sip like soup, use it straight once thawed, no dilution needed. If it’s very reduced, gelatin-rich, or intentionally concentrated, dilute it with water until it tastes like a normal broth before adding it. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Excited to try this today! Would fire roasted diced tomatoes go well with this soup?
Yes, absolutely!
Very tasty, especially the next day for lunch!!
I agree! So glad you liked it, Felicia. Thank you!
When you add in the orzo, is it already cooked?
No, you add in the orzo dry (uncooked). It only takes about 10 minutes for it to cook, then it will continue to absorb the broth and expand over the next 20 minutes. Hope that helps!
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