This Vegan Beef and Orzo Soup is a bowl of comfort food packed with protein, veggies, and delicious flavor!
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Vegan Beef and Orzo Soup
We have had back to back to back colds in our family this spring, and I recently needed to make something warm and cozy for the sick kid du jour, while making something hearty and filling for the rest of us. This Vegan Beef and Orzo Soup was what I came up with…and it was perfect. Simple broth and orzo with a couple of carrots was just what the sick kiddo needed, while the rest of us enjoyed heartier bowls with more filling vegetables. It was delicious! It’s a perfect comfort food/make ahead dinner for soccer nights/warm cozy soup because Seattle isn’t sure if it’s winter or summer kind of dinner. It checks all the boxes!
How do you make Vegan Beef and Orzo Soup?
Vegan Beef and Orzo Soup is easy to make! I start with a basic mirepoix/sofrito of onions, celery, and carrots. After they’ve sautéed for a bit I add vegan ground meat. After that browns for a minute more I add garlic and sliced mushrooms. You may know that I actually despise mushrooms, but the rest of my family enjoys them. I buy them pre-sliced and put them in as is so they are easy for me to ladle around. Everyone wins!
The real key to this soup is the No Beef Better than Bouillon. It provides instant flavor! If you can’t find it you can substitute no chicken bouillon, or vegetable stock. Bring the whole pot to a simmer while you cook the orzo in a separate pot. Once the orzo is cooked you drain it and add it into the soup and allow to simmer for 5 more minutes to absorb the flavor. Delicious!
Vegan Beef
Before anyone leaves a comment letting me know I shouldn’t call this “beef” because it’s actually vegan and meatless, I felt like Vegetable Protein Crumble and Orzo Soup just didn’t have the same ring to it, you know? Neither did be*f soup, said somewhat like a bleating sheep, and which always gets lots of laughs from my kids, but isn’t highly searchable. I’d like people out there in Google land to find this recipe some day, so Vegan beef it is.
Vegan Ground Meat
In this soup I use Impossible Ground Meat. It has a more neutral flavor than Beyond Ground, and cooks really well. I also like the Trader Joe’s vegan ground meat. If you’re avoiding processed vegan meats you could use canned lentils (or cook them yourself) and add them into the soup for a hearty protein punch!
Orzo
While it looks like rice, orzo is actually a tiny cut pasta. I cook it separately so that it doesn’t absorb all of the broth, and then add it to the soup for the last few minutes of simmering. Adding orzo to anything instantly makes it a hit with my pasta obsessed kids! If you need a gluten free option you can use rice or gluten free orzo, or other small gluten free pasta.
More of my favorite vegan soups!
- Curry Carrot Soup
- Vegan Black Bean Soup
- Curried Garbanzo Soup with Tomato Broth
- Vegan Tomato Soup with Crispy Croutons
- Barley Soup with White Beans and Kale
- Restaurant Style Vegan Lentil Soup
- Barley Minestrone Soup
Let’s Make Vegan Beef and Orzo Soup!
You’re just a few simple steps away from a bowl of ultimate comfort food! Give it a try, and leave me a note in the comments letting me know how you like it!
Vegan Beef and Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 stalks celery sliced
- 8 carrots chopped (about 2 cups)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 package vegan ground meat (I like Impossible Meat, see post for more options)
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I use crimini)
- 2 large sprigs of thyme
- 6 cups vegan no beef broth (I like Better than Bouillon No Beef Base)
- 2 cups dry orzo (half a pound, prepared separately according to package directions)
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Prepare orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- While the orzo is cooking prepare the rest of the soup. Warm 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat.
- Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add carrots and celery and sauté 5 minutes more.
- Add garlic and stir quickly to prevent burning.
- Add vegan ground meat and allow to brown for up to 5 minutes.
- Add sliced mushrooms and stir well.
- Add the thyme.
- Pour the broth over the vegetables, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer while orzo finishes cooking.
- When carrots are fork tender add the drained orzo to the soup. Allow to simmer for 5 more minutes so that the orzo can absorb the flavor of the broth.
The soup looks great – both cozy and hearty. Howver, unlike you I love mushrooms and dislike vegan meat substitutes. Do you think it would still be good w/ double the mushrooms and without the meat substitute? i thought that might work as it sounded as though most of the “beef” came from the broth rather than the substitute.
thanks.
Oh, ha, we are opposites! I scoop out the mushrooms and put them in my son’s bowl! But you could totally just do mushrooms and skip the veggie meat. Or you could add in a can of cooked lentils or other beans to get some protein in there. Very flexible recipe! Let me know what you decide!