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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 rice stew. 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 chicken broth or veggie 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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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.
This post was originally published on February 14, 2022
Used all the above suggestions… Spinach instead of kale. Added crumbled sausage… It was pre-cooked. Used Ditalini pasta instead of orzo. Tieghan Is one of the most talented cooks out there! I never doubt her inventiveness!
Hey Tracey,
Awesome!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a hit!! Thanks so much for your kind message:) xxT
So good! I doubled the beans and added baked chicken.
Hey Janna,
Awesome!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a hit!! xxT
Just made this tonight for Valentine’s Day…so delicious! Tastier meal than if we had gone out to eat!
Hey John,
Awesome!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a hit!! xxT
Fabulous recipe! I used the coconut milk instead of whole milk….. to die for. Used spinach in place of kale. Omg what a fantastic recipe!! TY ❤️❤️
Hey Justine,
Awesome!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a hit!! xxT
What size can of beans! I am making and have one or 2 15.5 oz can of great northern but I sometimes have much bigger cans, like 28 oz…..
Hi Lisa,
You will want to use a 15 ounce can of beans. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
Delicious!
I found that 2 cups of orzo was too much and too thick for 6 cups of broth…I kept having to add more broth. More like 10 cups of broth in all. Feeds 10 people for sure.?
Hey Valerie,
Awesome!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a hit!! xxT
Made this for tonight — used spinach instead of kale. Tried a little — so delicious. Even had a parmesan rind from Arthur Avenue! Another HBH winner!
Hi Valerie,
Awesome!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a hit!! xxT
It is minus 20 in Toronto today – this is the perfect warm one pot meal on a cold day !!! I did not make any changes to the recipe and it turned out beautifully !
Hey Seanna,
Awesome!! Thanks for giving the recipe a try, I love to hear that it was a hit!! xxT
Should the beans be drained or undrained? Most recipes call for drained.
Hey Ellen,
For this recipe, just drain the beans:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I had this q also, should be stated either way. Thx Tieghan for this yummy recipe! Always looking for a side to go with chicken wings as my hb wants them at least weekly. I have made fried rice, ‘rice Toni’, French fries, etc. but this one, mmmm!
Thanks so much Elisa!!
This is so good! I used chopped spinach instead of kale and added bite sized chicken in the beginning. LOVE
Hey Cara,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
Hi Tiegen! I have a sensitivity to lemon – do you think this would taste good without or is there another form of acid I could add to replicate (vinegars etc) – Thanks!
Hey Lauren,
You could just skip the lemon:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hey my husband doesn’t
Like beans should I add something else or just leave them out? Making this for sure:) love all your recipes making the chicken meatballs tonight fir Valentine’s it is his favorite ❤️
“Smashed garlic”? I LOVE garlic. So the soup has large pieces of garlic floating about? Or, is it to be removed? Thank you I’m advance!
Hey Joanna,
I leave the garlic in the soup, but if you want to remove it that totally works too! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Maybe add roasted Garlic butter mushrooms like in her wild rice soup.. to die for!
Hey Michele,
You can just skip the beans:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Drain/rinse the white beans first, or just add in? Hoping to try this soon!
Hey Jodi,
You can just drain the beans:) Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This looks absolutely delicious!!! Love everything about it all my favorite ingredients! My family would love this❣️
I just have one question, what type of white beans did you use? I feel like some can white beans can get very mushy.
Thanks a million Happy Valentines ?
Hey Betsy,
Thanks so much!! I like to use white navy beans or cannellini. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
So glad I saw this in my emails this morning, going to be making it this week!
I made your quinoa coconut pancakes over the weekend with the cream and blood orange jam. OH MY GOSH!! Blood orange jam just may be my new favorite thing! I thinkinf that with scones and creme fraishe ??
Looking forward to your new cookbook, I’m on the pre order. I love allllll your recipes!!
Hey Maria,
Thank you so much for your kind message and trying the pancakes! So glad to hear they were enjoyed:) I hope you love the cookbook as much as I do! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make this soup sounds delicious
Going to make this soup this week. Sounds delish!
I hope you love the recipe Gina!!
Thanks, I hope you love the recipe!!