ITALIAN ORZO SPINACH SOUP

ITALIAN ORZO SPINACH SOUP

I don't know about you, but I absolutely LOVE soup, especially on these cold Winter nights! Which is pretty funny since I live in "sunny" California! I swear to you though this is one of the coldest Winter's I can remember and I've lived in the Bay Area my entire life! I digress, this is one of the easiest recipes and absolutely delicious! It's vegetarian and if you get gluten free orzo, it would be gluten free as well...but if you prefer, you can add some chicken if you want. That's what I love about cooking...it's really a art! You have all of these ingredients and you, the artist combines them in a way that's to your liking. You're doing it simply for the love of the art, not to impress anyone else and there are really no wrongs or rights...to an extent of course, but really the only wrong thing you could do is not to try and cook...you don't know what you're missing out on!

Anyway....on to the recipe! 

INGREDIENTS:

   2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) cooked orzo pasta
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 4 cups loosely-packed spinach
• salt and black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: 

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft. Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, cooked orzo (pasta), thyme, oregano, rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.

Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Season with salt and black pepper to taste (if needed). Serve warm topped with shredded Parmesan! 

HELPFUL HINT:

I suggest you precook the orzo otherwise what happens is that it absorbs the liquid if you cook it in the soup and you end up having to add more broth/stock. If you prefer to cook it in the soup for ease, just make sure to buy more broth/stock to add more liquid. 

Bon Apetit!Buon Apetito! Buen Provecho!Douzo Meshiagare!