Description
Cozy and packed with flavor, this vegetarian orzo soup with butternut, white beans, and sage pistou is perfect for enjoying throughout fall and winter. Everything cooks together in one pot in 30 minutes or less. The sage pistou comes together quickly while the soup cooks and is stirred in right before serving.
Ingredients
for the orzo soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- Sea salt, to taste
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 bay leaf
- 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with kitchen twine
- 12 ounces butternut squash, diced into 1/2-inch cubes (about half of a medium butternut)
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 2/3 cup uncooked orzo
- 1 can white beans, such as cannellini or great northern, drained and rinsed
- 5-6 collard green leaves, about half of a standard bunch, de-ribbed and leaves cut into bite-sized pieces
for the sage pistou
- 1/4 cup sage leaves, loosely packed
- 1 cup parsley leaves, loosely packed
- 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- Sea salt, to taste
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons parmesan, plus extra for serving, optional
Instructions
Add the olive oil to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and set it over medium heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the chopped shallots and celery along with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the shallot is translucent and the celery has softened. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and bundle of thyme sprigs. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add the diced butternut squash, followed by the vegetable broth and a big pinch of salt. Increase the heat to medium-high. Stir, then allow the broth to come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium to maintain a simmer. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 5 minutes, add the orzo, white beans, collards. Return the soup to a simmer. Cook, stirring every 2 minutes or so, until the orzo is al dente and the butternut squash is very tender (about 8-10 minutes). Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs before serving.
While the soup cooks, make the sage pistou. Finely chop the sage and parsley then add to a small bowl with the zest from the lemon, 1 tablespoon of the juice, the minced garlic, and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, then slowly drizzle in the olive oil, stirring as you go. Stir in the parmesan last if using.
Add a dollop of pistou to each bowl of soup. Stir in before eating. Add an extra sprinkle of parmesan if desired.
Notes
- The butternut squash takes the longest to cook so it’s added to the broth first. If you are using store-bought cubed butternut and the pieces are larger than 1/2-inch, you’ll need to increase the time the butternut cooks in the broth before the orzo, beans, and collards are added to ensure it is fully cooked through and very tender. If you’re using frozen butternut, you can add it at the same time as the orzo.
- If you buy your broth in quart-sized cartons and don’t want to buy a second one just to use 1 cup from it, feel free to use 1 quart of broth plus 1 cup of water instead.
- I have a small Dutch oven that dictates the amount of soup I can make at one time. If you’d like to double the recipe, you can use one whole medium butternut squash and one whole bunch of collard greens!
- Note that the orzo will continue to absorb the broth as it cools. If you’re keeping leftovers, you can add more broth when you warm them up if you prefer.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 28-30 minutes