Lemon Orzo Soup with Shrimp

This Mediterranean lemon orzo soup with shrimp is bright and flavorful. It's an easy soup to make. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner or weekend meal.

Our next door neighbor used to go on many travels around the world and bring us back something from her trips. She would bring us truffle honey from Italy, a purse from Vietnam, and from one of them, she brought us back some orzo from Greece.

It sat on our shelf for a long time. I had never made orzo before. It was daunting. I'm not sure why. But finally, I decided that orzo needed to find its way into a tasty dish. So this lemon orzo soup with shrimp was born.

I found a recipe on Pinterest for a lemon orzo soup, and then modified to my tastes. First, extra orzo and carrots. Add some shrimp. And on my second time making this, more lemon, too.

The result? A hearty, delicious, filling Mediterranean-inspired soup.

I've made this lemon orzo soup once for Josh and myself, and once for my mom and myself. The verdict? It's been added to the rotation of meals. Which means we'll probably run out of this authentic Greek orzo soon. Which means we need to take a trip to Greece soon. A girl can dream, right?

What is orzo?

Just looking at orzo, you would think it's rice. But it's actually a type of pasta that is rice-shaped. It's used a lot in Italian and Greek foods. It works so well in soups like this one! It adds body and texture to a delicious soup.

Where to find orzo:

In the grocery store, you can usually find orzo alongside the regular pasta. I've found it in bags and in plastic containers. I've found it at my local grocery store, and if you have a Trader Joe's, they carry it too.

Ingredients for making this lemon orzo soup:

• Orzo - Orzo is pasta that is shaped like rice! It plumps up in the soup.
• Lemon - This recipe uses the zest and juice from a lemon. Zest it first, then juice it!
• Carrots - I typically grate the carrots for this soup. As an alternative, you can also slice them and chop them into small pieces. I've done both!
• Olive oil - Regular olive oil works great here.
• Garlic - The garlic adds a nice flavor to the soup. Fresh garlic is so good!
• Onion - I always use a yellow or white onion here, diced into very small pieces.
• Chicken stock - Chicken stock or broth is used in the soup. I typically get cartons from the store, but if you have homemade, even better!
• Dried basil - Dried basil adds a nice flavor to the soup. You can find it in the store in the spice section.
• Shrimp - You can use fresh or frozen shrimp. If using fresh, the shrimp will cook very quickly. If using frozen, they take a bit longer, but keep your eyes on them!
• Salt and Pepper - The holy grails of seasoning.

Variations:

One of my favorite parts about this orzo soup is how easy it is to customize!

• Leave out the shrimp - Sometimes I will make this without shrimp if I don't have any or am feeling lazy. Or I'll put shrimp in for me, and leave it out for Josh. It's filling either way!
• Swap out the shrimp for cooked chicken - Have some cooked chicken lying around? Throw that into the soup instead of shrimp and have chicken orzo soup!
• Instead of shredding the carrots, just chop them into pieces - When I'm feeling a little lazy, I just chop the carrots up. It's equally as delicious! Just make sure they are all cooked and tender before you serve.
• Add some greens - If you have spinach or kale, you can chop it up and throw it into the soup for some extra veggies and greens.

How to make the soup:

To make the lemon orzo soup with shrimp, first prepare your ingredients. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Grate (or finely chop) the carrot and set aside.

Once your ingredients are prepared, take out a dutch oven or stew pot and heat over medium heat. Add the olive oil. After about 30 seconds, add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute.

Then add the carrots and cook for an additional two minutes, stirring frequently.

Then add the chicken stock and orzo to the pot. Cook until the orzo is tender, but still has a slight bite (al dente!), about 10 minutes. This can vary depending on the orzo, so test it by tasting a bit with your spoon to determine if it needs longer.

While the soup is cooking, take out a large skillet and heat a bit of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook. As the shrimp starts to turn pink and opaque, flip and cook on the other side for about 1-2 minutes until cooked through. Set aside.

Once soup is done, add the dried basil, lemon zest, and lemon juice and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Plate soup and top with shrimp.

Print Recipe

4.5 from 2 votes

Lemon Orzo Soup with Shrimp

This Mediterranean lemon orzo soup with shrimp is bright and flavorful. It's an easy soup to make. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner or weekend meal.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: lemon, orzo, shrimp, soup

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 3 small carrots grated
• 6 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1 cup orzo
• 16 large shrimp deveined and peeled
• 1 lemon zest and juice
• 1 tsp dried basil
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the olive oil to the pot. Once oil is hot, add the onions and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
• Add the carrot and sauté for another two minutes.
• Add the chicken broth and orzo to the pot. Cook until orzo is tender, with a slight bite, about 10 minutes (but can depend on the orzo).
• While orzo is cooking, prepare the shrimp. In a skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When oil is hot, add shrimp to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, flipping once, until shrimp are cooked through and pink. Set aside.
• Once orzo soup is finished, add the lemon zest and juice. Season with salt, pepper and dried basil.
• Spoon into bowls, and add the cooked shrimp to the soup.

Looking for more soup recipes? Try these!

• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
• Chicken Zoodle Soup
• Kale, Sausage, and White Bean Soup
• Butternut Squash Soup with Zoodles