A hearty one pot chickpea, tomato, and orzo soup topped with dollops of basil pesto. Full of fresh flavor!
Chickpea, Tomato, and Orzo Soup with Basil Pesto

Have I got something warm and cozy for you today!!

And it’s like twenty degrees here today…so yeah, we need it.

Chickpea, Tomato, and Orzo Soup with Basil Pesto

This started off as a play on ribollita, which is an Italian tomato-based soup that gets thickened by slices of toasted bread. While that sounds (and tastes) wonderful on day one, it turns into a soggy, mushy mess on day two.

I’m a firm believer that soup should only get better with age (within reason, of course), so I abandoned that thickening strategy pretty quickly and decided instead to turn it into a one pot pasta soup! The beauty of this is that as the pasta cooks it absorbs some of the soup’s liquid while also releasing a bit of its starch to make the soup broth thick and creamy – multi-tasking at its most delicious.

Chickpea, Tomato, and Orzo Soup with Basil Pesto

This soup is full of simple, fresh flavors – carrots, onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs. It is one of those meals that tastes like a warm hug – total, pure comfort.

It gets topped off with dollops of basil pesto for a touch of brightness and sunshine…the promise that warmer weather will someday be here again.

Chickpea, Tomato, and Orzo Soup with Basil Pesto

Chickpea, Tomato, and Orzo Soup with Basil Pesto
 
A hearty one pot chickpea, tomato, and orzo soup topped with dollops of basil pesto. Full of fresh flavor!
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into half moon slices
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp chopped oregano
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 1 tbsp thyme leaves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 4½ cups vegetable broth
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup dried orzo
  • 2½ cups cooked chickpeas
  • 4 tbsp basil pesto
  • shredded basil leaves, to serve
Instructions
  1. Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Add the onions to the pan and saute for 4 minutes on medium heat. Add in the carrots and cook for another 4 minutes to soften the vegetables. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add in the wine and let it simmer for 2 minutes.
  2. Stir in the canned tomatoes, herbs, sugar, broth, and salt and black pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Add the orzo to the pot and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Place the chickpeas in a bowl and crush them a little bit with a potato masher so that some are squished but some are left whole. Pour into the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
  4. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a dollop of pesto on top, along with finely shredded basil.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Ottolenghi Plenty

 

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5 Responses to Chickpea, Tomato, and Orzo Soup with Basil Pesto

  1. Kate says:

    I want to curl right up in your bowl of soup! Luckily we’ve got soup on our menu tonight!

  2. Pam says:

    I love topping tomato soup with basil pesto! This soup looks hearty, healthy & SO comforting.

  3. I 100% agree with pasta in place of the bread for this soup. The bright pop of pesto is like a bright ray of sunshine. I love how colorful this is and your bowl makes for a gorgeous soup shot!

  4. maria acosta says:

    when you say wine, which do you recommend?

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