Description
This Lemony Orzo Chickpea Soup recipe is a vegetarian spin on Greek avgolemono soup. It’s cozy yet light, brightened up with lots of lemon juice and fresh herbs, and made extra creamy by folding a few eggs into the broth (instead of cream).
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 cups vegetable stock
- 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup orzo*
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice, plus extra lemon slices for serving
- 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
- 1–3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill*
- sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots and garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add stock and chickpeas, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium (or medium-low), whatever works to maintain a steady low simmer.
- Add orzo and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the orzo is al dente, stirring occasionally so that the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Meanwhile, as the orzo is cooking, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice in a separate mixing bowl or measuring cup until combined. Ladle out 1 cup of the hot soup broth, and while whisking the egg mixture with one hand continuously, very very slowly drizzle the broth into the eggs until combined. Repeat with 1 more cup of hot broth.
- Once the orzo is ready to go, remove the stockpot from the heat. Then while stirring the entire soup with one hand continuously, very very slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the soup until combined. The egg mixture should make the soup nice and creamy. (But if the eggs look like they are scrambling when you add them in — kind of like in egg drop soup — stop and let the soup cool down for a few minutes before adding the rest of the eggs.)
- Return the soup to low heat. Stir in the spinach and dill and stir for 1-2 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Then taste and season the soup with a few pinches of salt and black pepper, as needed.
- Serve warm, garnished with extra dill and lemon wedges.
Notes
*Or you’re welcome to sub in 3/4 cup rice in place of orzo.
*Just add however much dill you would like, to taste. Or if you’re not a big fan of dill, feel free to add in some fresh (or dried) oregano instead, to taste. Or fresh basil!
Recipe adapted from My Recipes.
