Vegetarian Greek Lemon Egg Soup with Orzo

Give yourself a gift of sunshine, a tempting bowl of hot vegetarian Greek lemon egg soup with orzo! This unique flavorful soup works like magic. It’s so light and lemony, you’ll feel like you’ve landed yourself in sunny summer, in the shade of a lemon tree.

No kidding! Tangy with fresh lemon, busy with sweet leeks, carrot bits, and that tiny rice-shaped pasta, this soup takes you tropical, wherever you set your table.

Avgolemono, Ahv-goh-LEM-moh-noh, (the letter G is silent), is a classic Greek soup made from broth (traditionally chicken broth), egg yolks, and lemon juice. Translated from Greek, avgolemono literally means egg and lemon.

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To make this light and lemony avgolemono, you slowly pour hot broth into the whisked egg yolks and lemon, and gently stir that back into the soup. Switch the whisk out for a wooden spoon and continuously stir over low heat, and slowly and surely the egg yolks thicken the broth in the most divine way.

The sour lemon cuts the richness of the egg, transforming a simple broth with veggies and pasta into silken rich yet light soup. For this vegetarian rendition, we use vegetable broth instead of the usual chicken broth!

In January, Iemons and limes are falling off the trees in Baja Mexico. Some of those lemons inspired this golden soup with a sounds-Greek-to-me name.

Where citrus trees thrive, it’s harvest season. Even if you don’t live anywhere near a lemon, orange, grapefruit, or lime tree, right now you’ll find citrus abundance in the grocery store. Eat seasonal!

Vegetarian Greek Lemon Egg Soup with Orzo recipe details:

• Avgolemono can be soup or sauce–same ingredients. The sauce is made with less broth –1 cup broth vs. 6 cups broth for this soup. Rich non-dairy avgolemono sauce draped over roasted veggies–to die for!
• Your soup should have a silky consistency. Once the eggs have been tempered into the broth, finish the soup using a wooden spoon and over medium-low heat.  If cooked over too-high heat, you will end up with grainy pieces of egg suspended in a delicious vegetable broth. DO NOT BOIL!
• The technique for making avgolemono reminds me of the smooth vanilla dessert sauce, crème Anglaise. Once the eggs are tempered, like for Anglaise, it’s smart and safer to finish the soup using a wooden spoon instead of a whisk, all the while stirring in a figure-eight motion.
• I swear this lemony vegetarian soup is even better the next day. With patience, reheat on medium low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the soup is hot. Same as when you make the soup—do NOT allow to boil!

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Tools and Ingredients:

• See the unusual ball whisk in the ingredient photo? It’s the whisk I choose for beating eggs.
• I use gluten-free orzo pasta—it cooks up beautifully.
• Keep it quick and easy using my favorite vegetable broth powder or cubes.

More recipes with citrus:

• This super-healthy tangerine Julius smoothie.
• A fruity pink grapefruit inspired dessert– burnt honey custard tart topped with caramel-drenched grapefruit.

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Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Vegetarian Greek Egg Lemon Soup with Orzo (Avgolemeno)

This vegetarian version of the classic Greek egg and lemon soup is remarkably easy and quick to make.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Keyword: avgolemono, Orzo

Servings: 6 servings.

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced leeks, tender white parts
• 1 cup diced carrots, 1/4-inch dice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 cups vegetable broth (see note)
• ½ cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 3 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Fine sea salt, to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Lemon zest strips, optional

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks, carrots, and garlic, and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the vegetable broth and orzo. Simmer until the orzo is almost al dente, 9 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl until frothy.
• When the orzo is almost done, take 1 cup of the hot broth and slowly pour it into the egg and lemon mixture, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in 2 more cups of the broth. (It’s OK if some of the orzo gets whisked in too.)
• Over medium-low heat, whisk the tempered egg and lemon mixture into remaining broth and orzo. ***Switch to a wooden spoon and, stirring continuously in a figure-eight motion, cook 1 or 2 minutes, just until the eggs slightly thicken the soup.
• You want the soup to have a silky rich consistency. If the heat is too high you will get grainy pieces of egg suspended in a delicious vegetable broth. DO NOT BOIL.
• Garnish with sprinkles of fresh parsley and lemon zest, if using.

Notes

Vegetable broth powder makes a quick, easy, and flavorful soup base.

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 1060mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4610IU | Vitamin C: 5.9mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 0.9mg

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