Back in March, we made a Chicken, Veggie, and Orzo Soup on a chilly day. Fast forward to April, and we had another such day (including a solid frost at night), so we decided to try to make a vegetarian version of the soup with different ingredients. The first thing we did was nix the chicken (duh). The second we did was to remove the tomatoes from the ingredients list to change the colour and acidity of the soup. Then, we lost track of our vegetarian ambitions and added Homemade Rabbit Stock (and proclaimed loudly, “There’s a Hare in my Soup!”).
All in all, the soup was delicious…and can easily be re-converted back to vegetarian with a more judicious choice of stock. We served our soup with garlic bread.
Time: 45 Minutes (in a pot) or 3 Hours (in a slow cooker…this is the method we used)
Ingredients:
- Stock of your Choice. We used Rabbit Stock, but Vegetable Stock will give you a vegetarian soup if you desire.
- Orzo
- Frozen Peas
- Onions
- Carrots
- Spinach
- Red Bell Pepper
- Mushrooms
Method:
- Dice your onions, carrots, and bell pepper, and slice your mushrooms.
- Melt some butter in a pan, and then add your veggies. Sauté until they have softened and barely begun to caramelize.
- As your veggies cook, boil some water in another pot, and use that to cook your orzo until it’s soft.
- Pour your stock into a soup pot (or crockpot, which is what we used so it could simmer while we were out of the house), and then add in your cooked veggies, frozen peas, and spinach. Stir to combine.
- When your orzo is ready, drain the water, and add it to your pot or crockpot as well, and stir it in.
- Allow to simmer for 20 minutes in a soup pot or 2.5-3 hours in a crockpot.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
