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Warming 20 minute Creamy White Bean Lemon Pesto Orzo Soup. Kind of like creamy risotto, kind of like soup, and so DELICIOUS. This is wholesome but comforting and the easiest to make using just one pot and 20 minutes. It’s warm and creamy, swirled with basil pesto, and finished with parmesan and a pinch of black pepper. Doesn’t get simpler or more delicious.
Sometimes it’s the simplest of recipes that really do turn out the most delicious. And that’s definitely the case with today’s recipe. It’s perfect for this time of year when we’re still craving comfort food on these cold winter days, but also wanting something lighter. It also makes for a nice Valentine’s Day recipe too.
This is a great mix. Originally when I set out to make this I was thinking it would be more of a soup. And it is, but this is an ultra-creamy soup.
A bit of a cross between soup, creamy pasta, and risotto. So just as you would expect, it’s delicious.
When my sister-in-law Lyndsie was in town over Christmas, she pretty much begged for a white bean soup. It’s one of her favorites and she said I never make anything with beans, which isn’t a lie. The family that’s here is not the biggest fan of beans. But I do love to experiment with them when Lynds and/or my cousins are in town.
Anyway, I never got around to making the soup over Christmas. But once I had this idea, I knew it would be delicious, Lyndsie fully agreed.
The details
With a 20 to 30 minute start to finish time, you can imagine the steps are pretty simple. First up, you only need one pot. No sauces, nothing extra, just one pot.
Start with olive oil, shallots, and garlic. To keep things simple, I just used smashed garlic cloves to infuse the oil. Then some butter goes in and then the orzo.
Any time I’m cooking with orzo, I love to toast it in butter before adding in any liquid. This just adds another layer of flavor as the butter cooks around the orzo.
Then comes the broth, along with white beans, and kale. You could easily use spinach in place of kale. From here, simply simmer until the orzo is al dente and things are becoming very creamy.
Stir in the pesto and lots of parmesan and finish it off with lemon.
That’s it. Absolutely nothing fancy, but totally delicious.
For serving
I usually add a little fresh dill and black pepper, but parsley or basil work really well too.
Then, some crusty bread on the side is a must.
It’s different, but so, so good. And who couldn’t love such an easy Monday recipe? Especially after the Super Bowl. I feel like we need this today! Happy Valentine’s day!
Looking for other quick recipes? Here are my favorites:
Baked Sesame Orange Cauliflower
One Pot Stove-Top Mac and Cheese
Skillet Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice
Lastly, if you make this Creamy White Bean Lemon Pesto Orzo Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy White Bean Lemon Pesto Orzo Soup
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1331 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4-6 cloves garlic, smashed
- red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 can white beans
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 bunch kale, finely shredded
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 cup whole milk or canned full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, garlic, and chili flakes and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Drop in the butter, then stir in the orzo. Cook until golden, 1-3 minutes. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the beans and kale. Season with salt and pepper. If you have one, add a parmesan rind. Simmer 8-10 minutes until the orzo is al dente, stirring often. It should become very creamy.2. Stir in the pesto, milk, parmesan, and lemon, cook another few minutes until warmed through. 3. Divide the orzo and broth among bowls and add additional parmesan and black pepper. I like to add some fresh dill, parsley, or basil too!
Notes
Thickening: the orzo will soak up the broth over time. If eating leftover, add additional broth to thin. It should be creamy, but with just a touch of liquid.
I adjusted this to make the soup totally vegan and added mushrooms. I made a spinach pesto and used bok choy instead of kale. Really tasty. I will absolutely make this again.
Hey Hannah,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
This was delicious!! I doubled to have extra for leftovers. Thank you!
Hey Kristi,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you:)
Wowza – I very rarely comment on recipe blogs, but this one is really exceptional. I’ve had a cold all week and needed a cozy, warming, bright soup and this was perfect. I didn’t even have orzo, but with 1 c small macaroni / 1 c broken spaghetti it still came together. Great flavors! Will definitely become a part of our regular rotation!
Hey Liz,
Thanks so much for giving this dish a try and sharing what worked well for you, I’m so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xT
Absolutely delicious – substituted Gruyère cheese instead of Parmesan as I was out of Parmesan. I will definitely add this to the soup rotation!
Hey Maggie,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Delicious – love the texture and the taste. Is this freezable?
Hey Jane,
Happy Sunday!!💕 Thanks so much for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, so glad it was a hit! I think freezing without the orzo would work best! xx
Fantastic recipe!! I used a 1 lb. box of orzo and increased the broth a touch. The final texture was like risotto which was intentional. I also used a full bunch of kale.
Hey Karen,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Freezable ?
Hey Deb,
I would freeze without the orzo. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Seriously one of the tastiest soups ever! We only used 1 cup of orzo to stave off absorption and lessened the Parmesan by half, using more on top when serving. The combination of ingredients is genius and the melding of flavors deepened over the three days we enjoyed it. It will go into regular rotation.
Hey Frances,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Is the calories on this accurate? Seems a little high
Hey Sophie,
I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! Hope you enjoy the recipe! xT
Very tasty, I think next time I’ll only do half the orzo
Hey Keisha,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Very tasty! Made as directed but with spinach instead of kale. Loved how quickly this came together
Hey Anne,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
This recipe was tasty and came together quickly, but was really more of a risotto than a soup, despite adding almost 3 additional cups of liquid. I’m sure by tomorrow we will be able to eat the delicious leftovers off a plate. And we will enjoy every bite!
Hey Jean,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xT
Made the soup tonight and it was delicious!! But it dried up really quick and became less soupy despite adding two extra cups of broth. Any tips on keeping it more on the liquidy side?
Hey Varsha,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Hmmm, was it simmering for too long causing the liquid to become absorbed? xx
Loved it. Very easy and flexible. I didn’t have kale so used spinach. And I had to use gruyere but it worked! Great recipe and lightning fast for a cold cold night!
Hey Jen,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
I’m trapped for day 3 of ice in dallas so when I made this tonight, I substituted some things because the pantry/fridge was running low– had arugula instead of spinach/kale in the fridge, and a bunch of asparagus that needed to be used, as well as one chicken breast cooked and shredded in the freezer that needed to be used. did not have pesto but added a good amount of dried basil to keep the flavor profile alive. it was absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to make this with the actual ingredient list again soon!
Hey Anna,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! I hope it thaws out for you soon! xx
Just made this tonight – fabulous! Will definitely be making it again and passing it along to others. Thank you. The perfect meal for a cold evening.
Hey Anne,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx