Lemony Orzo Chickpea Soup

This tart alimentary paste Chickpea Soup direction may be a eater spin on Greek avgolemono soup.  It’s cozy nonetheless light-weight, brightened up with millions of juice and recent herbs, and created additional creamy by folding a number of eggs into the broth (instead of cream).

It’s primarily a eater version of the avgolemono soup that I fell gaga with in Greece — a tart soup that's historically created with chicken, alimentary paste and veggies.  In stead of cream, though, the broth is as if by magic thickened with eggs instead, creating it immoderate luxurious and silken and delicious.  And — bonus — significantly healthier than cream as well!  The addition of millions of recent juice and herbs conjointly build the soup style refreshfully light-weight.  And once created with chickpeas rather than chicken, this soup may be a total eater winner.

Lemony Orzo Chickpea Soup

It’s the proper spring soup direction to serve with an enormous Greek (or green) dish now of year.  And hey, if we have a tendency to can’t all be absorbing that sunshine on a beach in Greece right away, I suppose this can be consequent neatest thing. ;)

WHAT IS AVGOLEMONO SOUP?

Avgolemono is truly a conventional sauce employed in Greek preparation, made up of a mix of eggs and juice that square measure heated or tempered with broth till they become ultra-creamy, thick and silken. once additional to a conventional Greek chicken and alimentary paste (or rice) soup, avgolemono sauce makes the broth additional made and creamy, while not having to feature in any actual farm.  It’s creamy food magic…and thus easy!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 cups vegetable stock
• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup orzo
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice, plus extra lemon slices for serving
• 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach
• 1–3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add carrots and garlic and sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add stock and chickpeas, and stir to combine.  Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium (or medium-low), whatever works to maintain a steady low simmer.
3. Add orzo and stir to combine.  Continue cooking until the orzo is al dente, stirring occasionally so that the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Meanwhile, as the orzo is cooking, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice in a separate mixing bowl or measuring cup until combined.  Ladle out 1 cup of the hot soup broth, and while whisking the egg mixture with one hand continuously, very very slowly drizzle the broth into the eggs until combined.  Repeat with 1 more cup of hot broth.
5. Once the orzo is ready to go, remove the stockpot from the heat.  Then while stirring the entire soup with one hand continuously, very very slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the soup until combined.  The egg mixture should make the soup nice and creamy.  (But if the eggs look like they are scrambling when you add them in — kind of like in egg drop soup — stop and let the soup cool down for a few minutes before adding the rest of the eggs.)
6. Return the soup to low heat.  Stir in the spinach and dill and stir for 1-2 minutes until the spinach has wilted.  Then taste and season the soup with a few pinches of salt and black pepper, as needed.
7. Serve warm, garnished with extra dill and lemon wedges.

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