Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup

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The secret to making this lemon chickpea orzo soup creamy isn’t dairy—you actually get that creaminess from pureeing a bit of the soup with some tahini.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Entree, Main, Soup

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 327kcal

Author: Deborah Murphy

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 quarts low sodium vegetable broth
2 cans (15.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup dry orzo pasta regular or whole-wheat
2 tablespoons tahini
3 kale, chopped sub spinach, Swiss Chard, or escarole
1-2 lemons depends how juicy they are
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill plus more for garnish

Instructions

Heat oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and thyme; cook 1 more minute, until aromatic.
Add broth and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, add the chickpeas and orzo. Simmer soup over medium-high heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente. Reduce heat to low.
Remove about 1 1/2 cups of soup and add to a blender with the tahini. Puree until smooth then pour back into the pot. (Or use an immersion blender to partially puree the soup.)
Add kale and continue to cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until greens are wilted.
Stir in juice and zest from 1 lemon (taste and add more from second lemon if needed), fresh dill and taste/adjust seasonings as needed. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with extra fresh dill, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

Notes

If you have an immersion blender, you can simply blend some of the soup in the pot rather than transferring to a counter blender.

If you don't have tahini, you can omit it if you'd like. The chickpeas and orzo also add creaminess to the soup once pureed.

Nutrition