Creamy One-Pot Vegetable Orzo Soup (Vegan)

Why You'll Love this Vegetable Orzo Soup

• Easy one-pot meal with simple steps
• Loads of flavor
• Great texture
• LOTS of vegetables
• Perfect for a cold or chilly day

Ingredients

Making this soup and seeing these colors all lined up is honestly so thrilling to me (food nerd alert!). Eating colorfully ensures that your body is getting a variety of nutrients and adds the most wonderful flavor to your meals.

I make this soup in my 5.5 quart dutch oven, which is one of the most-used pieces of cookware in my kitchen.

• Classic soup starters - Most soup recipes start with this lineup: diced yellow onion, salt and black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and garlic cloves.
• Red bell pepper - Let's start the rainbow of colors off with red, which I created with bell pepper. Select bell peppers that are brightly colored and firm with a tight skin, then store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Butternut squash - This is the orange part of the soup. You could also use a peeled sweet potato or carrots for the same color with a slightly different flavor.
• Yellow squash - You could also use a yellow bell pepper to add a splash of sunshine.
• Zucchini - The green part of the rainbow comes from zucchini! You could also use a head of broccoli, ⅔ cup peas, or a couple handfuls of fresh baby spinach or leafy greens.
• Purple carrots - I LOVE cutting into a purple carrot. They're so beautiful on the inside!
• Vegetable broth - I always go for a low-sodium broth, which gives me a little more control over the salt flavor in my soups. You can also use my No-Waste Vegetable Broth recipe that can be made in the pressure cooker!
• Orzo - Any orzo would work in this recipe, but double check your ingredient list if gluten-free is important to you! I love Andean Dream's quinoa orzo (not sponsored).
• Bay leaves - These are optional but add a really enjoyable depth of flavor. Just remember to take them out before serving your soup! Feel free to add other fresh herbs as well.
• Cashew cream - This recipe is both creamy and vegan thanks to plant-based cashew cream! I LOVE this recipe; it has a cashew base that adds the most luxurious, creamy texture to so many of my favorite recipes. Learn more about How (and Why!) to Soak Cashews in this post.

See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities.

How to Make Vegetable Orzo Soup

1. Add olive oil to a 5.5 quart dutch oven (or large pot) over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, salt and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and add minced garlic. Sauté for another 3 minutes.
2. Add all the diced veggies and sauté for 5 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable broth (or water - see notes) and bring to a boil. Turn the burner to medium and add the orzo and bay leaves. Cook over medium heat until orzo is cooked through (about 20 minutes), stirring every couple of minutes to avoid the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add cannellini beans if using.
4. Once the veggies are all fork tender and the orzo is cooked through, turn off the burner. Remove the bay leaves and add the cashew cream. Stir well and serve while hot. 

Serving Suggestions and Storage

While this delicious soup makes for a complete healthy meal on its own, I love pairing it with a simple side salad and my husband (who is not gluten-free) enjoys it with crusty bread. He also loves garnishing the soup with some red pepper flakes for some heat.

Store leftovers once fully cooled to room temperature in an airtight container in the refrigerator to up to five days.