Brrr…I’m definitely wishing I could “un-friend” Winter after this whole polar vortex thing. I was up in chilly Wisconsin for a training last weekend (dear God it was cold), and one of the themes of the training was soup…no it wasn’t a “how to make soup” conference but it made perfect sense in the context of the training. By the end of the weekend, I was certainly craving soup. Also since it’s the beginning of a new year, the talk of resolutions has been going wild and weight loss chatter is everywhere. And while I haven’t officially made resolutions to lose weight (I might as well set myself up for failure, right?), seeing as I have a trip involving a beach coming up, it really is inevitable. But luckily I had this Spinach Tomato Orzo Soup from the site Babble to help me keep warm and eat healthy.
I was drawn to this recipe because it’s nice and brothy with lots of spinach. And there may be some pasta involved too, but it’s okay. I cooked the orzo pasta separately and just have been adding it to my bowl of soup as I’m getting ready to heat it up. What I enjoy about doing that is you don’t have to use the orzo at all or you can just add a little.
This soup was really easy. Just cook the onions add some garlic and it was at this point that I of course, being me, had to add some crushed red pepper flakes. (This was a fabulous decision, by the way.) Then you will add chicken or vegetable stock along with water and then add a lot of spinach and a can of tomatoes with Italian seasoning. You’ll also cook your orzo at this point too. You can cook it in the soup but I like doing it separately and that way the pasta doesn’t absorb too much of the broth. Once the spinach is wilted down simmer the soup and voila.
Next time I’m cutting the recipe in half, because it makes a ton and I don’t have a small army to feed. Also I’m also thinking of cooking some Italian sausage for the soup too when round 2 occurs. That would totally knock this soup out of the park.
The soup heats up great. I stored the pasta in a separate container in the fridge and just added it to my soup bowl as I was ready to reheat. Also I have found a little sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese (fresh or pre-grated) over the top is delightful! It adds a little salty bite and makes me happy!
As the polar arctic blast or whatever we’re experiencing in parts of the US this winter keeps chilling us to the bone, this soup will totally warm you up from the inside out. Click here for the recipe and step by step instructions!
A look back:
One year ago: Quick, Healthy & Easy – Salmon & Broccoli
Two years ago: Brussels Sprouts Two Ways
Three years ago: Perfecting Gnocchi
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