Vegetable Chickpea Orzo Soup is a complete healthy meal in one bowl. It is flavorful, wholesome, freezer-friendly and easy to make.
Plus, it’s all cooked in one pot, so the clean up is a breeze. Similar to Stuffed Pepper Soup, Mushrooms and Wild Rice Soup and Moroccan Lentil Stew, this 30-minute dinner is perfect for busy weeknights.
Chickpea Orzo Soup
Loaded with colorful vegetables, hearty chickpeas and filling orzo pasta, this soup recipe is our family favorite and a meal prep staple.
Thanks to the electric pressure cooker like Instant Pot, even kids make this recipe ( with adult supervision, of course) You will love the minimal work and simple ingredients feature of this soup.
This awesome pasta soup is easy, filling and an easy way to pack good serving of wholesome ingredients and fiber packed vegetables into your diet.
And best of all it is a super easy soup to make, full of protein and fiber, fuss free and totally satisfying! Perfect comfort food meal that can be enjoyed all year long.
You will love this healthy orzo soup
- is inexpensive
- Uses easy to find pantry ingredients
- Vegan
- Can be made Gluten-free
- Full of healthy wholesome ingredients
- Super satisfying
- Comforting
- Great One pot meal
Heart Healthy Vegetarian Soup
Vegetable Orzo Soup is full of colors, textures, and flavors. It is also super filling. You can tweak it multiple ways to make it to your liking.
This soup is full of heart healthy ingredients. It falls in the good-for-you-and so-very-tasty category. These two criteria do not often work together so when it does, awesome soup like this happens!
This recipe makes a huge batch. We love to freeze it for multiple servings throughout the year. You can scale it down if needed.
Ingredients
Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here’s the overview of what you need
- Orzo – Tiny rice look alike pasta. Choose whole grain variety for higher nutrients
- Olive Oil – ( skip for WFPB cooking )
- Minced Garlic
- Frozen Mixed Vegetables – I used mix bag of peas, carrots and beans
- Chickpeas / Garbanzo Beans – I used canned version. Rinse, wash and drain water before using.
- Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes – It adds nice smoky and tangy flavors. You can also use regular diced tomatoes.
- Low sodium Vegetable Broth – Adds nice flavors. You can use water as well but add extra seasoning otherwise soup will taste bland.
- Italian Seasoning – I am using my favorite store brought seasoning mix (affiliate link)
- Lemon juice, fresh basil or other herbs and Freshly grated parmesan cheese ( or nutritional yeast for vegan) for topping
- Salt, Ground Black Pepper and Red pepper flakes – adjust per taste
Easy Substitutions
- Instead of Orzo, use any other small cut pasta.
- Replace frozen vegetable mix – with veggies of your choice or whatever is in the refrigerator.
- Celery, zucchini, potatoes, fresh or frozen spinach or kale ( add it right after soup is cooked ), cabbage, mushrooms, onions as well as peppers and beans are all good options.
- You can use kidney beans, cannellini beans, white beans , black beans or edamame instead of chickpeas.
- Other whole grains like rice, couscous, quinoa or barley can be used instead of orzo pasta. However adjust cooking time and amount of liquid accordingly.
How to store leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Add little water or broth and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Can I freeze orzo soup?
Yes! This soup freezes quite well and can be frozen for about 3 months. Make sure to cool the soup completely before storing.
I prefer to use freezer-safe containers (affiliate link). Also for easier defrosting, store in individual portions and leave a little space in the container for expansion. Defrost before reheating.
Layering of flavors
Minced garlic and store bought Italian Seasoning add great flavors to this soup. I prefer to use fire roasted tomatoes and low sodium broth for added flavors.
Additional flavors can be added by using fresh herbs like basil and fresh lemon juice.
What do you serve with this soup
I love to serve this soup with homemade Cornbread for homestyle soul food. A garlic toast or garlic bread or easy Italian Bruschetta also tastes great.
A simple side salad works too. You can also add crispy potato chips or baked kale chips as a side.
Useful Tools to Make This Soup
How to Make Instant Pot Chickpea Orzo Soup
Turn your Instant Pot on to the Sauté function. Add the olive oil. Let the oil get warm in 30 seconds.
Add orzo and minced garlic. Sauté on high for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add fire roasted tomatoes, chickpeas, mixed veggies and seasoning. Stir frequently for 3-4 minutes.
Add vegetable broth (or water) and mix well. Deglaze the pot by scraping the bottom with the spatula and making sure nothing is stuck at the bottom. Cancel Sauté function.
Place the lid on Instant Pot and move the knob to SEALING. Press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK high pressure for 4 minutes.
After it is done cooking, wait for 3 minutes and do a QPR quick pressure release by moving the valve from SEALING to VENTING. Open the lid.
Add lemon juice and chopped fresh herbs. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Gently stir the soup using a ladle. Serve in a bowl. Sprinkle some parmesan ( or nutritional yeast) and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy. Bon appétit!
How to Make Vegan Orzo Soup on Stove Top
In a heavy bottom pan, add the olive oil. Once the oil heats up, add orzo and minced garlic. Stirring frequently, toast the orzo for 3-4 minutes on low to medium heat.
Add fire roasted tomatoes, mixed veggies, garbanzo beans and seasoning. Let it sizzle. Stir frequently for 2-3 minutes.
Add vegetable broth. (or water) Mix well. Let it come to boil on high heat. Then reduce heat and let it simmer for about 15 mins on medium heat.
Check and stir a few times to make sure it does not burn at the bottom. Orzo should be tender and doubled in size. Turn the heat off. Serve garnished as suggested. Enjoy !
Our One Pot Dinner Recipes
- Vegan Enchilada Rice
- Vegetable Barley Soup
- Thai Red Curry
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Vegan Soup Recipes
Do check out our favorite White Beans and Spinach Soup, Lentil Quinoa Soup and Vegan Split Pea Soup recipes. All these vegan soup recipes are full of plant protein and make a complete meal similar to this Chickpea Orzo Soup.
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Chickpea Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- [1 tablespoon Olive oil - skip for WFPB cooking]
- 3-4 garlic cloves - minced
- [1 cup dry orzo pasta]
- 2 cups frozen mix vegetables
- 1 cup canned garbanzo beans- rinse wash and drain water
- [1 can 15 oz. of fire roasted diced tomatoes]
- [3 cups low sodium vegetable broth or water-]
- [1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning]
- Salt and Pepper per taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Optional Garnishes
- 1/4 cup Freshly grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs like basil or parsley
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS :
- Turn your Instant Pot on and press Sauté button. Add the olive oil. Let the oil get warm in 30 seconds. Add orzo and minced garlic. Sauté on high for 2 minutes stirring frequently.
- Add crushed tomatoes, chickpeas, mixed veggies and seasoning. Stir frequently for 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable broth (or water) and mix well.
- Deglaze the pot by scraping the bottom with the spatula and making sure nothing is stuck at the bottom. Cancel Sauté function.
- Place the lid on Instant Pot and move the knob to SEALING. Press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK high pressure for 4 minutes.
- After it is done cooking, wait for 3 minutes and do a QPR quick pressure release by moving the valve from SEALING to VENTING. Open the lid.
- Add lemon juice and chopped fresh herbs. Adjust the seasoning if needed. Gently stir the soup using a ladle.
- Serve in a bowl. Sprinkle some parmesan ( or nutritional yeast) and freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy. Bon appétit!
Directions: Regular Stovetop
- In a heavy bottom pan, add the olive oil. Once the oil heats up, add orzo and minced garlic. Stirring frequently, toast the orzo for 3-4 minutes on low to medium heat.
- Add crushed tomatoes, mixed veggies, garbanzo beans and seasoning. Let it sizzle. Stir frequently for 2-3 minutes. Add vegetable broth. (or water) Mix well.
- Let it come to boil on high heat. Then reduce heat and let it cook for about 15 mins on medium heat.
- Check and stir a few times to make sure it does not burn at the bottom. Orzo should be tender and doubled in size. Turn the heat off. Serve garnished as suggested. Enjoy !
Rachel
Delicious! I used rice (GF) and used 4 cups of water. As it’s cooled, there is hardly any liquid left, but it’s quite delicious. thanks!