Vegetable-Noodle Soup is a favorite, made in ONE pot with veggies, orzo pasta, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Grab some crusty bread, and let’s get started!
Looking for chicken vegetable noodle soup? Try this Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup with veggies and rotisserie chicken!
Vegetable Noodle Soup Recipe
This delicious vegetable noodle soup is super tasty, loaded with veggies, and kid-friendly—all made in one pot!
This soup has a broth base but is thick, hearty, and filling, especially if you add some leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken. It’s called Vegetable-Noodle Soup, but it uses pasta, inspired by classic chicken noodle soup!
The pasta I use? My personal favorite: orzo! It’s a short-cut pasta that looks like large grains of rice but is made from flour. You can find orzo in 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
- Sauté Veggies: Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add veggies. Cook until tender.
- Add Seasonings: Stir in seasonings. Cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add Stock: Pour in stock, add bay leaves and a Parmesan rind, and bring to a boil.
- Cook Orzo: Stir in orzo pasta and return to a boil. Cook until the orzo is al dente.
- Add Frozen Veggies: Stir in frozen veggies, plus cooked chicken. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Finish Up: Remove from heat, discard bay leaves and Parmesan rind, and stir in fresh parsley. Serve hot.
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!
Tips For Success
- Use a high-quality stock, like Swanson® chicken or vegetable stock, to enhance flavor and reduce the need for extra spices in the noodle soup.
- Add a Parmesan rind for extra flavor. While tough to chew, it enriches soups and sauces. Just remember to remove it before serving.
- Sauté the veggies first to elevate flavor and avoid crunchy onions in your soup.
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: Stir in up to two cups of shredded rotisserie chicken near the end to warm through.
- Vegetarian Vegetable Noodle Soup: Simply substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock.
- Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup: Try this Creamy Vegetable Soup and replace the potatoes with orzo pasta, adding it about 7 minutes before the soup finishes.
- Vegan Vegetable Noodle Soup: Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, omit the Parmesan rind, and skip the Parmesan.
Leftovers?
This soup keeps well but gets thicker over time. The pasta will soak up the soup liquid and swell as it sits in the fridge.
To warm up leftovers: Add the soup to a pot, turn up the heat slowly while stirring frequently, and add a small amount of chicken or vegetable stock to thin it out. Change spices and seasonings as needed.
I suggest not freezing this soup due to the pasta, as it tends to become mushy when thawed and warmed up.
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
Vegetable-Noodle Soup
Equipment
- Large, heavy pot 5.5-quart
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup finely diced onion 1 yellow onion, see note 1
- 1 cup finely diced carrot 2 to 3 large carrots, see note 1
- 1 cup finely diced celery 3 celery stalks, see note 1
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
- Salt and pepper
- 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, see note 2
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Parmesan rind optional, see note 3
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup diced cooked chicken optional
- 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley optional
- Serving suggestions see note 4
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large (5.5-quart) heavy pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, 7–9 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender. Veggies shouldn’t be browning; reduce heat if they are. Take time to get them really tender here (see note 1).
- Add 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.
- Add chicken stock, bay leaves, and Parmesan rind (if using). Bring soup to a boil. Once boiling, stir in orzo pasta and return to a boil. Boil 6–9 minutes, uncovered, or until orzo is al dente (still has a bite to it).
- 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 additional salt and pepper if needed. Remove Parmesan rind and bay leaves; discard. Stir through minced fresh parsley if using. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh thyme and freshly grated Parmesan cheese if desired (see note 5). Serve with some hearty buttered bread—yum!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent chicken noodle soup! I used my own homemade chicken bone stock.
Delish! I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Angelli! 🙂
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!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Amy! 🙂
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!
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! 🙂