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    Home » Recipes

    Orzo Soup With Turkey And Spinach

    Published: May 29, 2020 · Modified: May 29, 2020 by Sonila · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    • 26
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    I love making this Turkey Orzo Soup not only because it’s a comforting, delicious soup but also because it’s pretty budget friendly. You can make the soup with leftover roasted chicken or turkey meat, so it’s pretty versatile.

    An appetizing bowl of orzo soup showing some shredded turkey, spinach and other vegetables swimming in the soup in a close up shot.
    Turkey Orzo Soup

    Some links in my posts may be affiliate links, which means that I may receive a commission if you purchase items by clicking on these links. I will always disclose when a product in a post has been gifted by a company as well as when a post or product is sponsored.

    Mediterranean Orzo Soup

    Orzo is a widely used rice-shaped pasta in the Mediterranean region. I grew up in a multi-generational home and my grandparents made orzo from scratch at home. We used to dry it up and keep it in a dry place for home cooking mostly during winter.

    In my native country of Albania, we called orzo ‘kritharaqe’ while in Italy they call Orzo ‘risoni’. Orzo is famous in Greek Cuisine as well as other Mediterranean countries.

    Orzo is mainly used in soups but also served as a side dish when cooked similarly to rice.

    Orzo soup with shredded turkey and spinach!! Picture shows a bowl of the soup already served, the pot where it was cooked with a ladle in and a lemon on the other side.
    Orzo Soup With Shredded Turkey & Spinach

    Recipes Notes & Tips

    • You can cook this soup same way using leftover roasted turkey or roasted chicken. Just shred the leftovers and you’re good to go.
    • You will need chicken stock or the juices from cooking the turkey in a bag etc or a combination of the two.
    • Soup refrigerates well but it gets thicker since orzo will keep absorbing liquids. I have never frozen leftovers from this soup. However, if you plan to have enough leftovers to freeze, don’t add orzo to the soup and refrigerate the soup with no orzo. Then as you cook in the stovetop, add orzo and let it cook.
    • Feel free to eyeball some ingredients or substitute some of them to taste. This is supposed to be a soup that uses a lot of leftovers or vegetables before they go bad.
    • You can replace the yellow/red sweet peppers with a green bell pepper. You can use a white onion instead of yellow. Also, you can add celery if you have some on hand. I prefer using oregano and paprika but you can add any spice or herb to your liking.
    All the ingredients for the orzo soup laid out together.
    Ingredients for the Orzo Soup
    A bowl of orzo soup garnished with a slice of lemon shown with a piece of baguette next to the bowl, on the left hand side.

    Orzo Soup With Turkey And Spinach

    This Orzo soup with shredded turkey and spinach is a flavorful and comforting dish that is perfect for any time. Plus it's budget friendly because you use leftover turkey or chicken from the day before.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine Mediterranean
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 349 kcal

    Equipment

    • Regular pot and lid

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups shredded roasted turkey (or chicken) any amount of leftovers will do, don't stress if you don't have exactly 2 cups
    • 4 cups chicken stock
    • 2 tomatoes
    • 1 cup diced carrots
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 1 tbsp oregano
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 1 tbsp salt
    • 1.5 cups orzo
    • 1 red pepper (small)
    • 1 yellow pepper (small) you can replace the 2 small peppers with a bell pepper
    • 1 yellow onion
    • 2 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
    • 2-3 cups spinach
    • 1 lemon half will be juiced and added to the soup and the other half sliced for garnish
    • 2 cups water
    • pinch black pepper (optional) for garnish

    Instructions
     

    • Cut tomatoes in large chunks and blend them in a small food processor.
    • Wash spinach (if it doesn't come already washed), peppers and tomatoes. Dice carrots, onion and peppers. (I used carrot sticks for this recipe but you can use whole carrots too).
    • Heat a large pot with olive oil. Add onions and peppers and sautee until onion becomes transluscent.
    • Add orzo to the pot, stir everything well so veggies don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Also, you want all the orzos to get coated and become kind of shiny.
    • Add carrots and mix well again.
    • Add tomato blend and mix so you can create a homogeneous mix.
    • Add shredded turkey and mix to incorporate all the ingredients together.
    • Add bay leaves and oregano, paprika and salt and stir again to combine everything.
    • Add chicken stock to the soup and 2 cups of water. Mix and set temperature to medium. Cover with a lid. Make sure the pot is not too small or it will overflow as the soup cooks.
    • After 20 minutes or so, remover lid. Fish for the bay leaves and remove them from the pot. Add lemon juice from half the lemon.
    • Add spinach to the soup in the final moments. Chop spinach if leaves are too big. No need to chop baby spinach. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes until spinach welts.
    • Serve warm and enjoy:). Garnish with lemon slices and black pepper in individual plates is optional.

    Video

    Notes

    • You can use shredded chicken or turkey.
    • Buying triple-washed spinach can save some time, but that might not be available everywhere. My grocery store offers it and it is something I splurge on to save myself time. 

    Nutrition Label

    Nutrition Facts
    Orzo Soup With Turkey And Spinach
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 349 Calories from Fat 72
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 8g12%
    Saturated Fat 1g6%
    Cholesterol 30mg10%
    Sodium 2365mg103%
    Potassium 781mg22%
    Carbohydrates 48g16%
    Fiber 4g17%
    Sugar 9g10%
    Protein 22g44%
    Vitamin A 5544IU111%
    Vitamin C 84mg102%
    Calcium 69mg7%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 22gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 2365mgPotassium: 781mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 5544IUVitamin C: 84mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword mediterranean orzo soup, orzo soup, turkey orzo soup
    Tried this recipe?Mention @mediterranean_latin_love or tag #mediterraneanlatinloveaffair!

    If you would like to save this recipe for later, please save the below image to Pinterest. Feel free to tag me with questions in social media or with pictures of the final results if you made the recipe:). Thank you!

    Instagram: mediterranean_latin_love or Twitter: MediterrLatin or Facebook: Mediterranean Latin Love Affair.

    Shredded Turkey Orzo Soup with Spinach - an image composed of 2 pictures for Pinterest purposes with the title written in between the pictures.
    Shredded Turkey Orzo Soup

    Other Mediterranean Inspired Recipes

    • Chicken Orzo Bake
    • Baked Chicken & Rice
    • Lemon, Rice Chicken Soup
    • 26

    Filed Under: Main Dishes, Mediterranean Food, Recipes, Soups Tagged With: Orzo

    About Sonila

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Mònica

      June 01, 2020 at 8:33 am

      5 stars
      Que deliciosa se ve esta sopa, aquí es la hora de comer, así que me has abierto un montón el apetito, gracias por compartir esta receta tan deliciosa

      Reply
    2. Leticia Esteves

      June 01, 2020 at 6:15 am

      5 stars
      Que divina se ve esta sopita de orzo. Tan Rick a como las fotos que has hecho de ella

      Reply
    3. Estefania

      May 31, 2020 at 6:44 pm

      5 stars
      I use orzo in soups but I’ve never giving it the turkey touch, that’s a great idea and a perfect way of adding protein to the dish.

      Reply
      • admin

        May 31, 2020 at 6:59 pm

        Thank you Estefania:)). Yes perfect way to add protein & use leftovers!

        Reply
    4. Melba

      May 31, 2020 at 7:32 am

      5 stars
      Sonila que delicia tu turkey orzo soup, de verla se me hizo agua la boca. Me gusta mucho la espinaca en las sopas que tengan pollo. Combinan muy bien. Tu sopa se ve consistente con un color muy apetecible. Te go que hacerla. Me encantó

      Reply
      • admin

        May 31, 2020 at 7:37 am

        Muchas gracias Melba:))

        Reply

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    Sonila Zarate
    Sonila Zarate

    Mom of 2, wife, engineer, food blogger & recipe creator! Sonila was born in Albania, her heritage inspires her Mediterranean recipes while that of her husband the Latin ones. Sonila has 2 degrees in Engineering from University of Miami.

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