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Lemony White Bean and Spinach Soup with Orzo is healthy, cozy, and comforting — packed with fresh greens, carrots, pasta, and cannellini beans — and easy to make in less than 30 minutes.
When you want to cozy up with a big bowl of soup, this is sure to hit the spot. It’s quick and easy to make — less than 30 minutes start to finish — and packed with big flavors.
The ingredients are simple and straightforward, too. You’ll need a few items from the pantry — orzo, beans, and standard seasonings — and a few fresh veggies.
Added bonus? This soup is completely and effortlessly vegetarian. It reminds me a bit of the famous lemon chicken orzo soup sold at Panera, turned meatless and even more delicious! It’s perfect whether you’re feeding vegetarians or just trying to incorporate more meatless meals.
What kind of beans are good in vegetable soup?
To keep this recipe quick and easy, use canned white kidney, AKA cannellini beans. If you prefer, you can easily swap in chickpeas, pinto beans, or even red kidney beans. Use what you have!
How to make white bean spinach soup
- Cook veggies in a smidge of butter and olive oil.
- Season well with garlic and Italian seasoning.
- Add broth, boil, and cook orzo according to package directions.
- Stir in spinach and beans. Squeeze in a bit of fresh lemon and sprinkle on a bit of parsley, and serve!
Tips and tricks
- Cookware. You can make this soup in any large saucepan or in a Dutch oven. The one pictured here is my go-to for everyday family dinners.
- Orzo. Check the package directions to verify the correct cooking time for your brand of orzo. You want it to be tender but not at all mushy.
- Italian Seasoning. This is a spice cabinet staple for me, because it’s such a great shortcut for adding flavor to pasta and soups. If you don’t have it, you can use any combination of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. Don’t worry if you don’t have them all. Just use the ones you have.
- Leftovers. If you are likely to have extra soup, consider cooking the orzo separately and adding it to individual portions as you serve. This prevents the orzo from soaking up extra broth as the soup sits.
- Make it vegan. Leave out the butter, and use a vegan-certified broth.
This soup will definitely be making repeat appearances at my house, especially through the winter when our bellies need something simultaneously fresh and cozy. I hope it’s a hit for you, too!
More Quick, Easy Soups
- White Bean Tortellini Soup
- Hearty Tortellini Chicken Noodle Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup (Instant Pot!)
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Crockpot/Slow Cooker!)
- Creamy Carrot Red Pepper Soup
- White Bean Chicken Soup
- Italian Chickpea Soup
- Easy Ham and White Bean Soup
Lemon White Bean and Spinach Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, from about 1/2 medium lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or 1-2 teaspoons dried
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10-12 cranks fresh-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Warm olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots and sauté, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and Italian seasoning. Cook for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently, just until the orzo is tender.
- Stir in the spinach and beans and allow about 1 minute for the spinach to wilt. Add lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Orzo. Check the package directions to verify the correct cooking time for your brand of orzo. You want it to be tender, but not at all over-cooked, so keep a close eye and when in doubt, proceed with the next step of stirring in the spinach and white beans.
- Leftovers? If you are likely to have leftovers, consider cooking the orzo separately and adding it to individual portions as you serve it. This prevents the orzo from soaking up extra broth as the soup sits.
- Seasoning. You may want to add more lemon juice, salt, and/or pepper according to your tastes. Start with the amounts listed here, and add more if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just what I was looking for! I made it as is. This is a versatile recipe to add to my soup rotation. Light, fresh and simple to put together. Loved it!
This looks so good! What a great lunch meal prep for the week!
This soup is sooo good. We were getting tired of the same vegetable and chicken noodle soups and this hit the spot. Easy ingredients that are usually on hand it super quick! I used extra lemon because we love it and will definitely cook the orzo separately next time to have more broth. Will definitely be making this again.
This recipe is really good. I tried it but added a lot more lemon & everyone enjoyed it. I wanted to make it again but don’t have spinach. Is Swiss chard a good alternative to spinach or will it spoil the flavour?
Swiss chard is a good alternative!
This soup will be my new go to recipe!! It’s delicious and simple. My whole family loved it.
I’ve made this twice. Once exactly like the recipe and the 2nd time with tomatoes and tomato paste and lots more spinach, both were great, but the tomato with more spinach was a personal favourite. I’ve used barley, rice, and cous cous instead of orzo or pasta. All were great. Left out the thyme as I just don’t like it, also used a little more lemon, and adapted this for the Ninja foodi.
Lemon White Bean and Spinach Soup is the perfect winter evening meal. Paired with homemade corn muffins. Yum, Thank you!
Your spinach (and bacon and eggs) salad dressing is my go-to dressing now! No sugar and just a little honey.
This soup is delicious! I omitted the beans because I just wasn’t feeling them today, but wow, the flavour is still unreal. I made a couple other substitutions just because of what’s in my pantry (mix of chicken and veg broth, shallot instead of onion) and it’s still phenomenal. Thanks for the great, easy recipe!
So. Tasty! I’ve been waiting for the temperature to dip enough to truly enjoy a homemade soup and finally made this last night, serving it with toasted sourdough. I can happily report I’ll be making it throughout the fall and winter. Quick and easy, flavorful and filling. NEW STAPLE RECIPE!
I made lemon white bean and spinach soup tonight! It was easy and delicious. Even my carnivore husband liked it! I just served it with Italian bread for a light supper.