Lemon Orzo Soup

Lemon Orzo Soup - a Light but Comforting Treat!

Last night’s dinner was inspired by a lemon chicken soup that I had many years ago. It was lemony, warm, and comforting and I’ve been trying to reproduce it ever since. Minus the chicken, I think this soup is pretty close!

The Distracting Lemon Zest

I started off with some minced garlic in olive oil. I burned the first batch of garlic due to distraction from lemon zest and Jon, but the second batch spent just enough time in the oil to heat through and flavor the oil.

Lemon Zest and Garlic Sauteing

Next I added the lemon zest to heat for just a few moments before adding lots of veggie broth and lemon juice. While this simmered away, I cooked the orzo and defrosted some vegan “chicken” that I had in the freezer. The “chicken” went into the soup right away to absorb the lemony vegetable flavors.

Lemons Ready to be Juiced!

Once the orzo finished cooking, I juiced the 2 lemons that had contributed their zest to the soup. Jon loves lemons, so he was definitely enjoying the fresh lemony flavors emanating from the kitchen.

I wanted to thicken the broth just a little bit, so I added some cornstarch mixed with cold water. To finish the soup, I added the freshly-squeezed lemon juice, salt, lots of pepper, basil, and a little sugar to balance out the flavors. After mixing in the orzo, it was ready to serve! Jon said “mmm…lemons” when I set his bowl in front of him.

Light and Comforting Lemon Orzo Soup