Orzo Vegetable Soup

I'm not a huge salad person. The salads I like are the kind that have more fat and calories than a Big Mac. So I get my vegetables in soups instead. Yes, even in the summer. Because soups are my favorite. Soup, how I love thee! Let me count the ways:

*There's only one pot to clean when I'm done.

*Loads of hearty veggies for little calories and fat.

*They're really easy to make (most of the time)!

*There are about 4 trillion different healthy soup recipes out there.

*I can use up what's in my fridge.

*They're CHEAP to make and still feed a LOT of people! :)

*They're warm and filling.

*I can make one pot of soup and have a quick, easy, and delicious lunch for the whole week! Soup leftovers are the best!

*They're delicious.

Okay, that wasn't really counting. I just wanted to make a list of reason I love soup.

This particular soups is a new favorite. It's snowing outside. I wanted something warm, but I wanted something quick and easy that would be low calorie/fat and warm me up inside. Also, I sort of just wanted to use up some of the veggies in my fridge before they go bad. Soup is the best for that! So I literally threw this together while I was cleaning. Chopped some veggies, threw some stuff in the pot, let it simmer while I cleaned, added the pasta at the end, cleaned a little more, and by the time my family room was sparkling I was ready for a hot lunch!

I ate 2 1/2 cups of this stuff for only 287 calories and 1 gram of fat! Two and a half cups! That's a lot of soup. You could have a smaller bowl with a side salad, some crusty bread, whatever. It was delicious enough to eat on it's own. But I may have it tomorrow with some dry whole wheat toast for dipping. Mmmmm. Leftover soup is the best!

Orzo Vegetable Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 medium stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup carrots, sliced (about 1 large carrot or 10 baby carrots)

1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced

1/4 head of red cabbage, sliced into thin shreds

2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

4 (15 oz) cans of vegetable broth

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup orzo pasta

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic until soft. Add remaining vegetables and cook until cabbage wilts down to about half it's size. Add 2 cans of broth and seasoning and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. (This is the part where you go clean or nap or whatever floats your boat. Just check on your soup once or twice.) Add remaining 2 cans of broth and return to a boil. Add in orzo pasta and boil for about 9 minutes. Remove from heat and serve!

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information:

115 calories, 0.5g fat, 972mg sodium, 25g carbs, 2.6g fiber, 3.5g protein