vegetable orzo soup

peas. glorious, fresh, sweet as can be, spring peas. the first crop from this year's garden.

and since jason was getting a cold (who gets sick in the summer!?) i threw together a simple vegetable soup.

...a soup that's really a variation of a chicken orzo soup i made last winter. and it makes a great soup base to add really whatever vegetables you like.

while some of my peas came out picture perfect, others weren't so lucky. lucky for me, they all tasted great.

the only, ever so slight bummer about this soup - it doesn't make the best left over. the orzo really soaks up the soup broth, so the next day it's thick, more like a warm orzo pasta than a soup.

vegetable orzo soup
inspired by rachel ray's toasted orzo chicken soup and gimme some oven's basil, chicken, and orzo soup
1 hour start to finish, serves 4

olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
6 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 cup peas
1 cup corn
1 cup orzo (or any small soup pasta)
8-10 basil leaves (more or less to taste), thinly siced
salt & pepper

1. in a dutch oven (or heavy bottomed stock pot), coat the bottom with olive oil and place over medium heat. add the onion and garlic, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. add the celery and carrots, stir, season with salt & pepper, and saute an additional 5 minutes.
3. add the chicken stock and bay leaves. bring up to a simmer, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
4. add the peas, corn, and orzo pasta. boil long enough to cook the orzo (however long the box says it needs to cook).
5. stir in the basil and serve.