Vegetable Soup with Pesto
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This hearty vegetable soup gets an extra boost of flavor from zesty pesto and a sprinkle of Parm—perfect for cool summer nights, early fall, or a rainy day.
Vegetable soups can sometimes feel a little “meh,” but not this one. It’s loaded with fresh garden veggies—zucchini, peas, carrots, and celery—and finished with a dollop of zesty pesto sauce and a sprinkle of Parmigiano-Reggiano for big flavor. A handful of orzo (that tiny, rice-shaped pasta) makes it hearty enough to be satisfying, too. Serve it on its own with garlic bread or pair it with gooey grilled cheese sandwiches, a margherita pizza, or khachapuri.
What’s really great is how quick and easy it is to prepare. Once you’ve got your veggies chopped, you’re only 25 minutes away from a comforting, healthy dinner. And if making your own pesto isn’t on the agenda, no worries—a good-quality store-bought version works just fine.
If you love veggie-packed soups, you might also enjoy my minestrone soup—another broth-based favorite that’s packed with flavor and richness.
“This soup is over-the-top good. I made your garlic bread. Oh my. We had a great dinner tonight!”
What You’ll Need To Make Vegetable Soup With Pesto
- Onions, Carrots, Celery: This classic trio, often referred to as the “mirepoix,” provides a flavorful base for the soup and plenty of substance.
- Tomato Paste: Deepens the soup’s flavor with its concentrated, tangy sweetness.
- Chicken Broth: The liquid base of the soup that lends savory depth of flavor. Feel free to substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian version.
- Orzo: This small pasta adds texture and makes the soup more filling. You can swap in ditalini or another small pasta if you prefer.
- Zucchini and Frozen Peas: These add a mild, slightly sweet flavor and substance, as well as a pop of color. See variations below for more veggie options.
- Pesto and Parmigiano-Reggiano: Pesto adds a rich, herby dimension that elevates the soup, and Parmigiano-Reggiano contributes a nutty, salty finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Sauté the base vegetables. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery.
Step 2. Soften the vegetables and add tomato paste. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and the vegetables are partially cooked, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste.
Pro Tip: Got leftover tomato paste? Freeze it in small portions—either in an ice cube tray or flattened in a zip-top bag—so you can grab just what you need next time without wasting a whole can.
Step 3. Build the broth. Cook the tomato paste for 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
Step 4. Add the pasta. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then add the orzo. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes.
Pro Tip: If you’re planning to store leftovers, you may want to cook the orzo separately and add it to individual bowls. That way, it won’t soak up all the broth and get mushy as it sits.
Step 5. Add remaining vegetables. Stir in the zucchini and peas. Simmer until the orzo is tender and the veggies are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste.
Pro Tip: No need to thaw your frozen peas—just toss them straight into the pot during the last few minutes of simmering.
Step 6. Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a generous spoonful of pesto and grated Parmesan cheese. Pass more pesto and cheese at the table. The soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. For longer storage, freeze it for up to three months.
How to Customize Your Vegetable Soup
- Add your favorite vegetables. Potatoes, diced tomatoes, corn, green beans, baby spinach, or kale all work well in vegetable soup and boost flavor and nutrition.
- Swap pasta for beans. Chickpeas or white beans are a great pasta alternative and add protein to make the soup more filling.
- Simmer with a Parmesan rind. Dropping a rind into the pot as the soup simmers infuses it with a savory, umami-rich flavor. Just remember to fish it out before serving.
- Use up leftover vegetables. Got veggies in your fridge on their last leg? Dice them up and add them to the pot.
- Toss in fresh herbs. Add chopped rosemary, thyme, parsley, or whatever fresh herbs you have on hand to enhance flavor.
- Add a kick of heat. A pinch of red pepper flakes adds gentle warmth and depth without overwhelming the other flavors. Start small—you can always stir in more at the end if you want a spicier finish.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Vegetable Soup with Pesto
This vegetable orzo soup is light, satisfying, and finished with pesto for a burst of flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions, chopped
- 2 carrots, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- ⅔ cup orzo
- 1 small zucchini, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup homemade or store bought pesto
- Hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating over soup
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and translucent and the vegetables are partially cooked, about 10 minutes. Do not brown; lower the heat if necessary. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes more.
- Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper and bay leaves and bring to a gentle boil. Add the orzo, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and frozen peas. Adjust the heat to bring back to a simmer and cook until the orzo is al dente and the vegetables are all tender-crisp, about 2 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (keep in mind that the soup will taste a bit bland before the pesto and Parmigiano-Reggiano are added).
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a heaping tablespoon of pesto and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pass more pesto and cheese at the table.
- Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions: The can be made up to 3 days ahead of time. However, keep in mind that the orzo will absorb the broth and become mushy if left in the soup for too long. If you plan to make the soup ahead, I suggest cooking the orzo separately and storing in a separate container. When ready to serve, reheat the soup gently, then stir in the orzo. Leftover soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (Keep in mind that the orzo may soak up some of the broth while in the freezer and become a bit mushy. If necessary, thin the soup out with a bit of water or broth when reheating.)
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 215
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Sugar: 6g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 11g
- Sodium: 727mg
- Cholesterol: 1mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this last night, and it was fantastic! We couldn’t stop eating it! I have been using your website and cookbook for a few years now and every single recipe that I make is wonderful. Every Single One. My 14 year old daughter is cooking and baking using your recipes too. Always our “go to!” Thank you!
❤️
Excellent soup: very similar to Julia Child’s “Soupe au Pistou”. I increased the broth to 10 cups, I added 1 cup of chopped green beans, 1 tablespoon of Vegeta and two additional cups of water. I didn’t have orzo, so I substituted it by crushed egg noodles. It was excellent and not bland at all, even without the pesto that I didn’t use. I’m very glad I found you: your recipes are well written, obviously tested and very good.
Delicious soup! How long will it keep in the fridge for?
I’d guesstimate about 3 days (and glad you liked it)!
This is my “go-to” soup for coming out of our rainy Pacific NW weather. Not too heavy for warmer temperatures, it’s perfect for my lunches. I just made a big pot and dropped a rind of parmesan in it. The last day’s soup was so delicious. Since I’m not a big fan of pesto I was leery of adding it but it’s delicious.
I lost 30 lbs. this winter just making a pot of soup a week and eating that for lunches instead of going out or making sandwiches. Your soups offer so much variety and flavor that I never got tired of any of the recipes and my weight loss was painless!
I’ve been a fan of your website for several years now and have yet to make something I didn’t enjoy and your pictures make it all so easy. I also own your cookbook. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Fresh and comforting at the same time.
I’m having to print this recipe again, because my first copy is so stained from cooking – that tells you how often I’ve made this wonderful soup! It’s become a staple in our house, summer and winter. We like it with the pesto added all at once at the end.
Delicious and satisfying soup for a light meal. I’ve also made your French lentil soup, black bean soup and pasta fagioli soup. All were fantastic. Thank you for sharing these wonderful recipes.
Made this last night…added too much tomato paste (the whole small can) to two cartons of chicken broth…should have followed the recipe exactly as it just didn’t come out as I expected…too bland. Love your recipes Jen.
Another winner! Your recipes have yet to disappoint. Made this last night and my husband and I loved it. I made a crusty bread in my bread maker to go with it and the bread needed another half hour once the soup was done so I turned off the stove and let the soup sit. I tasted it before doing so and it was better after resting, the zucchini was softer and the orzo too. Will definitely be making this one many more times, it was so easy to throw together. And the pesto definitely adds a lot of flavor, I just used the Kirkland brand from Costco. Thanks for another great one!
The recipe was excellent. I made a few changes for my family by adding red bell pepper, 2/3 cup of tomato sauce to the paste mixture, frozen green beans instead of peas, 1 cup of water to the chicken broth, 1/2 tsp each of rosemary, oregano, garlic powder and cilantro followed by other reviewer recommendations of pesto and parmesan to the pot instead of each individual bowl, serving with grilled cheese.
My family always eat seconds while my daughter dips her grilled cheese. Leftovers tastes even better!
Great recipe! Definitely one of the top 5 recipes at my house. For those also following a gluten free diet, I found that a 1/2 cup of lentils are a great subsitiute for the orzo. Freezes well too! Thank you.