I lived in Astoria, Queens for a while. The population is mainly made up of Greeks so I was surrounded by the best Greek food. I hadn’t lived in a cold climate for 5 years before moving to the city. I fell in love with Greek lemon and orzo soup. I would always get it from my favorite restaurant down the street on cold days. I don’t have many Greek restaurants near me now so I decided to try and make the soup. I made spinach, zucchini & white bean orzo soup. Check out the recipe below.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Salt & pepper

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in zucchini, thyme and basil, stir for another 2-3 minutes.
2. Whisk in vegetable stock and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Stir in orzo; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
3. Stir in spinach and cannellini beans until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!