This tomato orzo soup is creamy, delicious, and easy to make! Made with rich coconut milk and fresh basil, it's super comforting and perfect as a starter or light meal!
I definitely have a thing for tomato soup recipes! And as much as I love a good old classic vegan tomato bisque, I'm also a really big fan of dressing up my tomato soup with extras like gnocchi, couscous, or in this case, orzo.
Tomato orzo soup is my favorite version of tomato soup to make when I want a little something extra in my soup, but with minimal effort. The orzo can be added right to the soup (instead of being boiled separately), making this a one-pot recipe!
Ready to get cooking? Let's talk about how this soup is made!
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive oil. Another high-heat oil can be substituted, but olive will give your soup the best flavor.
- Onion.
- Carrots.
- Celery.
- Garlic.
- Crushed tomatoes. We're using canned crushed tomatoes here. If you can't find them, just take canned diced tomatoes and blitz them in a blender or food processor. You want the mixture to be almost smooth, with just a bit of texture to it.
- Vegetable broth. I used Better Than Bouillon in Seasoned Vegetable flavor.
- Coconut milk. Make sure you're using canned coconut milk, and not coconut beverage (usually sold in cartons). Full-fat coconut milk is preferable, but light will work if you'd like to reduce the fat and calories.
- Dried oregano.
- Dried orzo.
- Fresh basil.
- Salt & pepper.
How to Make Tomato Orzo Soup
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
- Heat your oil in a pot, then add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sweat the veggies for a few minutes, until they start to soften up. Make sure to stir them frequently to prevent burning.
- Stir in the garlic and cook it with everything for about a minute.
- Stir in the tomatoes, broth, and oregano. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a simmer. Let it cook until it thickens up a bit, about 20 minutes. Don't worry if it's not as thick as you like yet — the orzo will help make it even thicker!
- Stir in the orzo and let the soup simmer for another 15 minutes or so, until the orzo is tender and the soup is nice and thick. You can cook the soup longer if you like your orzo super-soft, or more briefly for al dente orzo.
- Stir in the coconut milk then turn off the heat. Season your soup with salt and pepper, and stir in fresh basil. Feel free to thin the soup with some extra broth or water if you'd like.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and dig in!
Leftovers & Storage
Leftover tomato orzo soup will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
The orzo will continue to absorb liquid as the soup sits, so you may need to add some water or broth when you reheat it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! Just use a gluten-free vegan variety of orzo, such as DeLallo's.
I couldn't taste the coconut at all, but you might be able to taste it if you're very sensitive to that particular flavor. If you're not a fan of coconut you can substitute another non-dairy milk — go for something unsweetened with a higher fat content.
Yes, as long as it's similarly sized. Pastina and ditalini should both work, though you might need to adjust the cook time a bit.
More Pasta Soups
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One-Pot Creamy Tomato Orzo Soup
This tomato orzo soup is creamy, delicious, and easy to make! Made with rich coconut milk and fresh basil, it's super comforting and perfect as a starter or light meal!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup carrots)
- 1 medium celery stalk, diced (about ½ cup celery)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 (14 ounce or 400 gram) cans crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ cup dried orzo
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat.
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Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion, carrots, and celery. Sweat the veggies for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until they begin to soften up.
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Stir in the garlic and cook it with the veggies for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
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Stir in the tomatoes, broth, and oregano.
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Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the soup to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
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Stir the orzo into the soup and continue letting it simmer for about 15 minutes, until the orzo is tender.*
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Stir in the coconut milk, simmer the soup for a minute more, then remove the pot from heat. You can also thin the soup with a little broth or water if it's thicker than you'd like it at this point.
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Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste and stir in the fresh basil.
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Ladle into bowls and serve.
Recipe Notes
*Let the soup simmer longer if you prefer your orzo very soft, or more briefly for al dente orzo.
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