Super Immunity Boosting Vegan Chickenless Soup Recipe

I was perusing the aisles of Trader Joe’s one day in hopes to find something different to make for dinner when a bag of orzo caught my eye. I never purchased or used orzo pasta before, so why not give it a try? I tossed it in my carriage and purchased that item along with several others that day. I did not end up using the orzo that night. In fact, it ended up sitting in my pantry for several weeks before I found a reason to use it. I just didn’t know what to do with it LOL!

I would stare at that bag, perplexed by the little pieces of pasta inside it and ask myself questions like: can I use pasta sauce on this? Or butter? Or some other sauce? Or can I make a pasta salad with it? And although I assumed any of those options would be just fine, It just didn’t seem right, so there it sat, on a shelf for the longest time…

UNTIL…Wait for it…

Cold and flu season hit (this recipe is pre-covid)!

That is when I found the perfect way to use this bag of orzo!

SOUP!

Everyone knows a homemade batch of soup is essential during cold and flu (and covid) season. I rummaged through my pantry and my fridge to see what I had to make a kid friendly soup, because my primary goal was to get my son to eat this soup to give his immune system a boost! What I came up with is the recipe below and I must admit I am one proud mamma, because this soup is outstanding! I had two bowls, my son had one and 1/2, my nephew and my brother each had two bowls. This soup did not last long, even though it seemed like a large batch!

The orzo was a perfect fit for this soup. I am so glad I found a great way to use it. I also used a leek for the first time making this soup. I decided not to use an onion, because I knew my son would not eat it if it had onions in it, and I NEEDED this to be kid-friendly! So, I opted for a leek, thinking maybe it would offer some nice flavor. It did not disappoint! Combining the leek, orzo, a plethora of seasonings and some kid friendly veggies created a super satisfying, incredibly healthy soup to help ward off any and all sicknesses abound.

This soup is a staple in my home now. Sadly, I no longer live with my brother and my nephew, so I have no one to share this with, besides my son (I love to share my food)! I tend to freeze any leftovers and consume it anytime I feel a cold coming on and anytime I feel I am not dong a great job in the nutrition area. Let’s be honest! We all have days, weeks , even months, when we are eating junk foods. For any newbies to veganisim, there is a ton of vegan junk food that you might even think is healthy! BEWARE OF ANY AND ALL PACKAGED, PREPARED FOODS! One thing I have learned is that homemade is always best, nutritionally, because YOU control the ingredients.

Super Immunity Boosting Vegan Chickenless Soup Recipe

Michelle

Flu season is here! Wondering what you can do to boost your immunity? Try making this soup! It has so many healthy ingredients and its so yummy that even the pickiest of eaters will eat this soup.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Soup

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 1 leek diced
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 3 large carrots peeled, sliced
• 4 ribs celery sliced
• 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 vegan boulion cube
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup orzo cooked
• 15.5 ounce can of red kidney beans

Instructions

 

• Sautee diced leek, minced garlic and olive oil over medium/high heat for about five minutes, until fragrant and soft, then set aside.
• Cook orzo and set aside.
• Add water, broth, spices, sauteed leeks and garlic, carrots and celery to a large pot and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes or until carrots and celery are tender.
• Add frozen peas umtil heated.
• Add orzo and serve!

Keyword healthy, kid friendly, vegan