Lemon Orzo Soup
Last updated on February 21st, 2026
It’s getting a little warmer and sunnier here in the Midwest and boy, do I need it! I wanted to whip something up for my boys that was quick, springy, and tasty! This Lemon Orzo Soup was full of veggies, vibrant lemony flavor, orzo pasta, and some surprising twists! This was so easy to make and could easily be customized with whatever you’ve got on hand! Add some rotisserie chicken, add some shrimp, swap the orzo for rice, whatever you want! This was such a tasty lunch, it reheats super well, and it can easily be vegetarian with one simple ingredient swap!
This post may contain affiliate links
So, what is orzo anyway?
Orzo is a pasta that looks like rice. An impasta. Ha! It’s easy to incorporate in many dishes, especially if they’re Greek or Italian inspired! It works well in one pot dishes, since is short, thin, and can easily be submerged by broths and sauces! Orzo is perfect for soups, casseroles, pilaf, and honestly, whatever else you feel like doing with it! It’s just so versatile and underrated!
Did you know?
Lemons are one of the most versatile fruits ever! Lemons are used in cooking, baking, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, cleaning, skin care, medicine, even gardening! These sunny little fruits are so good for you too! They’re packed with vitamins and antioxidants! We usually always keep lemons on hand; there’s just so much you can do with them!
California and Arizona are responsible for the production of 95% of America’s lemon supply, which makes sense because of their warm climates! And one single lemon tree can grow up to 20 feet tall, producing up to 600 pounds of lemons per year! That’s pretty sweet!
What ingredients do I need to make this?
For the lemon orzo soup:
Orzo
Olive Oil
Chicken Broth
Lemon
Yellow Onion
Green Onion
Garlic
Tomato
Peas
Corn
Basil
Dill
Parsley
Pesto
Salt
Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Red Pepper Flakes
For serving:
Lemon
Parsley
Red Pepper Flakes
What equipment do I need?
How do I make it?
To prep the ingredients:
To get started on this recipe, first let’s wash and prep our ingredients! Dice the yellow onion, slice the green onion, and mince the garlic. Mince the dill and parsley, then zest and juice the lemon.
Add the diced tomatoes to a strainer to drain them, then rinse and shake off the excess water.
Pro Tip: Usually, canned diced tomatoes are added to recipes without draining, to really give that tomato essence! Sometimes I want tomatoes in my dish, but I don’t want them to take over everything – so this is when I’ll drain and rinse them! If you have some fresh tomatoes on hand, that works too!
To make the lemon orzo soup:
Next, in a large stockpot heat the olive oil on medium. Add the onion and sauté a few minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the tomatoes and let those cook for a few minutes.
Pour in the broth, seasonings, orzo, stir and bring to a gentle boil. Turn heat to medium low and simmer for several minutes.
When the orzo feels tender, add the corn and peas, then cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley, dill, lemon juice and zest, green onion, and pesto.
To serve:
Serve hot with lemon wedges, parsley, and red pepper flakes! Enjoy!
Tips:
- To make this vegetarian friendly, use vegetable broth instead of chicken!
- Add mushrooms to this, chopped chicken, flaked salmon chunks, whatever you want! It’s very versatile!
- This lemon orzo soup will keep for 3-4 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator! Because of the pasta, is not freezer friendly.
Looking for some more springy recipes? Check these out!
Lemon Orzo Soup
Ingredients
For the lemon orzo soup:
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 1 Green Onion thinly sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 3 cups Chicken Broth
- Zest and Juice From 1 Lemon
- 1 – 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomato drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup Orzo
- ¾ cup Frozen Peas
- ¾ cup Frozen Corn
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Dill minced
- 1 tbsp Parsley minced
- 1 tbsp Pesto
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Onion Powder
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
For serving:
- Lemon wedged
- Parsley minced
- Red Pepper Flakes
Instructions
To make the lemon orzo soup:
- In a large stockpot, heat olive oil on medium.
- Add the onion and sauté 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes and let those cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the broth, seasonings, orzo, stir, and bring to a gentle boil.
- Turn heat to medium low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the orzo feels tender, add the corn and peas, then cook for 2 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the parsley, dill, lemon juice and zest, green onion, and pesto.
To serve:
- Serve hot with lemon wedges, more parsley, and red pepper flakes! Enjoy!
Nutrition
Please be aware that nutritional values are approximate and intended as a helpful guide
Discover more from The Wholesome Spoon
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Wow this looks good! I pinned this for later. Definitely going to try this one!
I hope you love it!❤️