This comforting Chickpea Lemon Orzo Soup is lusciously creamy and silky but made dairy-free with no cream at all! This healthy vegetarian soup is a new family favorite of ours and I can't wait for you to try it!
Course Soup
Cuisine American, Mediterranean
Keyword Lemon Orzo Soup
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 6servings
Calories 189kcal
Author Jenn Laughlin - Peas and Crayons
Ingredients
1TBSPolive oilor avocado oil
1cupdiced yellow onion(approx. 1/2 a large onion)
4carrots
3clovesgarlic
1canchickpeas(15.5 ounces) drained and rinsed
6-8cupsvegetable brothor chicken broth
1cupuncooked orzo
2-3lemons, juiced to yield 1/2 cup
3eggs
1tspsalt(plus extra to taste)
½tspblack pepper
2-3TBSPfresh chopped dill
2-3cups chopped fresh spinach
Instructions
Prep those veggies! Dice your onion, peel and dice the carrots, and mince the garlic.
Heat a large pot or dutch-oven over medium-high heat with your oil. Add carrots and onion and sauté until tender, approx. 8-10 min. Next add your minced garlic and chickpeas and sauté for an additional minute or so until fragrant.
Pour in 6 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and reduce heat to a medium simmer to cook the orzo, approx. 6-10 minutes then remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and half the lemon juice.
Dip a ladle into your soup and slowly (SO SO SLOWLY) add the hot soup into the egg mixture. Stir constantly while repeating this step 2-4 more times, or until your egg mixture is warmed up and gloriously creamy.
If your eggs are added straight into the hot soup, you'll end up with scrambled eggs swirls throughout almost like an egg drop soup. To keep things smooth and creamy (with not scrambled eggs in sight!) go slooooow baby slow!
Give your soup a few minutes to cool down a bit. Once it's ready, slowly incorporate your creamy eggs into the soup. Stick with the slow pace and gently whisk it into the soup. Season with salt, pepper, and as much or as little fresh dill as you'd like. Taste and adjust as needed, adding the remaining lemon juice if you're loving the citrus flavor. Swirl in your spinach and you're all set!
Ready to eat? Spoon into bowls and dive on in! This soup is excellent as leftovers and can be thinned with extra broth as needed. Enjoy!
Notes
I used 6 cups of broth for a thick and chunky pasta and veggie soup.Want a brothier soup? Feel free to add an extra cup or two of broth! Give it a taste and adjust lemon, dill, salt, and pepper to taste to make up for added liquid and you're good to go.Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Sodium and nutrient values will differ based on adjustments made and choice of broth. Adjust as needed and enjoy!