Home > Soups & Stews > Vegetable Noodle Soup Vegetable Noodle Soup January 7, 2022 | 4 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. This is our favorite Vegetable-Noodle Soup prepared in ONE pot with an array of mixed veggies, orzo pasta, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Grab some crusty bread and let’s get started! Looking for a chicken vegetable noodle soup? Try our Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup that has loads of veggies and rotisserie chicken thrown in! Alternatively, add rotisserie chicken to this soup! What To Expect From This Vegetable Noodle Soup Recipe The best vegetable noodle soup recipe in my book needs to be flavorful, packed with veggies while still being kid-friendly, and all made in one pot! This recipe checks all those boxes. It’s nutritious and good for you while still having plenty of flavor. And the kids couldn’t seem to get enough, so it’s a win all around! This soup is broth-based, but quite thick, hearty, and filling–especially if you throw in some leftover grilled chicken or some leftover rotisserie chicken! Vegetable-Noodle Soup actually uses pasta (not noodles), but this recipe is inspired by a classic chicken noodle soup and is likely what is most familiar to you (hence the name of the recipe). QUICK TIP Many people use the terms pasta and noodles interchangeably. Actually, though, there’s a difference. Noodles contain eggs, and pasta doesn’t. So this recipe technically is a pasta soup, but most of us think of noodle soup, not pasta soup. The pasta we use? A personal favorite: orzo! If you aren’t familiar, orzo is a type of short-cut pasta that looks like large grains of rice. Although orzo looks a bit like rice, it’s made from flour. (It’s a common misconception that rice and orzo can be interchanged, but they are different and won’t cook the same in this recipe.) You can find orzo on the pasta aisle of most grocery stores! QUICK TIP Use leftover orzo pasta in one of these tasty recipes: a one-pot Chicken Orzo, Italian Sausage Orzo Soup, or this lemon-dressed Orzo Pasta Salad! How To Make Vegetable-Noodle Soup Check out the full recipe card for step-by-step directions to make this soup. Here are the ways to enhance the flavor of this soup while preparing it: Use a high-quality, flavorful stock that will add loads of flavor and allow us to cut down on spices or other additions. We highly recommend Swanson ® chicken or vegetable stock — it’s our favorite! The stock makes a huge difference in the end flavor of this noodle soup recipe. Add a Parmesan rind. The rind on Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is a protective layer that develops on the outside of the cheese wheel as it ages. It’s technically edible but becomes tough to chew and very hard. That said, these rinds are packed full of flavor and do wonders for enriching the flavor of sauces, soups, stews, etc. If you have one lingering in your fridge throw it in — you are going to love what it adds! Once the soup is done, remove the rind before serving. Take time to sauté the veggies. Instead of immediately dumping everything else into the pot, take time to sauté the carrot, onion, and celery thoroughly, which creates a heightened flavor dimension. Plus, you won’t end up with crunchy onion in your vegetable noodle soup! QUICK TIP Check your local cheese counter at the grocery store (anywhere they carve big wheels of Parmesan to sell in smaller pieces). Ask to purchase a rind and they may sell you just the rinds at a reduced rate! What Vegetables Go In Noodle Soup The nice thing about this soup is how easy it is to customize! Don’t love one of the veggies? Feel free to leave it out and substitute equal parts of that veggie with another one already in the soup (or get creative with your own additions). We wouldn’t recommend adding white or sweet potatoes, as they’ll absorb too much of the liquid and change cooking time substantially. Use frozen veggies. We recommend frozen peas and frozen corn (as opposed to canned) for the best texture and flavor. QUICK TIP Dice veggies small and aim to keep them the same size. This not only ensures even cooking (so there aren’t some crisp and some mushy veggies) but also ensures the veggies will cook down quickly. This Vegetable Noodle Soup Is Easy To Customize! Chicken Vegetable Noodle Soup Recipe: Add shredded rotisserie chicken into this soup — simply stir through up to two cups near the end to warm it through! Vegetarian Vegetable Noodle Soup: Swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock — easy peasy! Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup: Try this Creamy Vegetable Soup and replace the potatoes with orzo pasta (add pasta about 7 minutes before soup will be done). Vegan Vegetable Noodle Soup Recipe: Swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock, leave out the Parmesan rind, and leave off the Parmesan. STORAGE Vegetable Noodle Soup Storage Notes This soup stores just fine, but thickens substantially as it stores. As this soup sits in the fridge, the pasta will continue to absorb the soup liquid and bloat. To reheat leftovers: Add leftover soup to a pot and slowly increase the heat while stirring frequently. Add a splash more of chicken or vegetable stock to thin and adjust accordingly with spices/seasonings as needed. We don’t recommend freezing this soup because of the pasta in it. The pasta in the soup tends to become fairly mushy upon thawing and reheating. QUICK TIP For a thinner soup, add more vegetable/chicken stock. We prefer Vegetable Noodle Soup to be fairly thick. If you decide to thin it out a bit, make sure to also adjust seasonings for the additional volume. Finish the soup with some fresh herbs — Italian flat-leaf parsley, thyme, or a combination of both add liveliness to this soup! More Veggie Packed Soup Recipes Chicken and Rice Soup with sweet peas Corn Chowder with carrots and potatoes Chickpea Soup with coconut milk and red lentils White Bean Soup with carrots, celery, and onions Healthy Minestrone Soup with zucchini, sweet corn, and peas FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Vegetable-Noodle Soup 5 from 5 votes - Review this recipe This is our favorite Vegetable-Noodle Soup prepared in ONE pot with an array of mixed veggies, orzo pasta, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Grab some crusty bread and let's get started! SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Vegetable-Noodle Soup 5 from 5 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe This is our favorite Vegetable-Noodle Soup prepared in ONE pot with an array of mixed veggies, orzo pasta, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Grab some crusty bread and let's get started! Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup, Vegetarian Cuisine American, Vegetarian Keyword vegetable noodle soup Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Total Time 40 minutes Servings 6 servings Calories 296kcal Author Chelsea Lords Cost 7.42 Ingredients▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil▢ 1 cup each: finely diced onion, carrot, celery Note 1▢ 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (~3 cloves)▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning▢ 1/2 teaspoon each: dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley▢ Fine sea salt and cracked pepper▢ 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock Note 2▢ 2 bay leaves▢ 1 Parmesan rind, optional (Note 3)▢ 1 cup orzo pasta▢ 1 cup each: frozen corn, frozen peas▢ Optional: 1 cup diced cooked chicken▢ Optional: 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley, 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, Parmesan cheese▢ For serving: crusty breadUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsVEGGIES: Heat olive oil in a large (5.5-quart) heavy pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, 7-9 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender. Veggies shouldn't be browning; reduce the heat if they are. Take time to get them really tender here. (See Note 1.)SEASONINGS: Add the seasonings to the veggies: Italian seasoning, dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, salt and pepper. (Season to taste with salt and pepper; I add 1/4 teaspoon each but adjust depending on saltiness of stock and cheese). Stir seasonings for 30 seconds.ORZO: Pour in the chicken stock and add in the bay leaves and Parmesan rind. Bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the orzo pasta and return to a boil. Boil for 6-9 minutes, uncovered, or until orzo is al dente (still has a bite to it).FINISHING: Once orzo is al dente, stir in corn and peas to warm through, 1 more minute. (Add chicken here too, if using). Remove from heat, taste, and season with any additional salt and pepper if needed. Remove Parmesan rind and bay leaves; discard. Stir through minced, fresh parsley (I add 3 tablespoons) if using. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh thyme and freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired (Note 4). Serve with some crusty bread -- yum!STORAGE: The longer this soup sits, the thicker it gets. The pasta will continue to absorb liquid until there is practically none left. For this reason, this soup is best enjoyed right after being prepared. If you have leftovers, note the pasta will be bloated a bit (still tasty!) Thin leftover soup with additional chicken or vegetable stock. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Veggies: this is about 1 yellow onion, 3 celery stalks, 2-3 large carrots. Be sure to dice these veggies fairly small (use a food processor for ease/speed). Really take the time to throughly sauté these veggies for best soup flavor and to ensure they're completely tender. Note 2: Chicken or Vegetable Stock: The better the stock, the better the soup will taste. We highly recommend Swanson® chicken or vegetable stock — it’s our favorite! This amount of stock results in a thick soup (which we love). If you'd like it thinner, add a touch more. Note 3: Parmesan rind: (Optional) The rind on Parmigiano Reggiano is a protective layer that develops on the outside of the cheese wheel as it ages. It's technically edible, but becomes tough to chew and very hard. That said, these rinds are packed full of flavor and do wonders for enriching the flavor of sauces, soups, stews, etc. If you have one lingering in your fridge throw it in -- you are going to love what it adds! Tip: Check your local cheese counter at the grocery store (anywhere they carve big wheels of Parmesan to sell in smaller pieces). Ask to purchase a rind and they may sell you just the rinds at a reduced rate! Note 4: Parmesan: We like grating a touch extra of Parmesan with a microplane right on top of individual bowls. This gives the cheese the best possible texture and it melts beautifully into the bowl of soup. Nutrition information does not include optional ingredients, including the Parmesan rind and cooked chicken. Nutrition FactsCalories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 395mg | Potassium: 630mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 5873IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! 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Chelsea i’m so grateful for your website! I should probably comment more than I do but you should know that i wanna say thank you for your service in feeding hungry families!!! Also-where did you get that bowl?? It looks cute! The shape is unique! Reply
You are so kind! This made my day! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂 And I actually got the bowl in Africa when visiting! It is really unique! 🙂 Reply
Delicious!! Used Swanson vegetable broth as recommended. Made it for a friend’s family who had the flu, they are vegetarian and absolutely loved it. Had to taste-test before I gave it away and I’m making it this week for my family it was so good! Reply
