I wanted to call this “heartbreak soup”.
It’s packed with all the colorful vegetables, hearty orzo pasta and pairs perfectly with parmesan + mozzarella cheese. In my mind, melty cheese is the best way to soothe the soul. Along with brown butter chocolate chip nutella cookies, but that’s a given.
Soups that steam with lemony herb aromas, filling each spoonful with chunks of pasta and parmesan infused veggies are the equivalent to comfort food. That topped with handfuls of fresh mozzarella and oyster crackers will instantly steal your heart.
Let me start by saying that I am not a soup person. Ask my mom, growing up I would have rather ate crunchy snails than force bland chicken noodle soup down my throat. True story.
Cheesy french onion and clam chowder bread bowls were the only soups that were acceptable in my mind and still remain my favorites.
Over the years my palette has broadened and I am not as harsh towards the idea of trying out new soup recipes. They need to have flavor, good texture and pair well with cheese. My three simple soup rules.
Enter—> Heartbreak Soup. The soup you come home to after a terrible day. The soup that brings comfort after a bad breakup. The soup you cozy up with under the blankets on a rainy evening. This my friends is what heartbreak soup is all about!
It’s only a bonus that it’s loaded with vegetables, herbs and fiber packed orzo pasta. The soup is meatless but I love to add chicken sausage and top it with shredded mozzarella + crumbled crackers.
The add ins/toppings are endless so get creative to make this your own little bowl of comfort! Recipes that soothe the soul are truly my favorite recipes.
P.S. This soup got me through a rainy filled finals week and was the perfect way to kick off December. Yay for cold weather and holiday grubbin!
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Hearty Lemon Veggie Orzo Soup
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 large celery stocks, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped (1 red and 1 yellow)
- 1 Tbsp herbs de provence
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup lite coconut milk
- Lemon juice from 2 medium lemons
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup cooked orzo
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley (handful)
- Sea salt + black pepper to taste
Topping/Add in ideas
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Crackers
- Crispy chickpeas
- Chicken sausage
- Shredded chicken
- Chipotle sauce (adds a great flavor)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and bell pepper sauteeing until browned and softened for about 10 minutes. Stir in the herbs de provence then add the chipotle sauce, chicken broth, coconut milk, diced tomatoes and lemon juice. Add in the cooked orzo and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper then reduce heat to medium-low and allow soup to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in parmesan cheese, parsley, sea salt and black pepper then serve into bowls. I reccomend mozzarella cheese and oyster crackers as a topping!