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Everyone loves Zupas and on a whim one evening I decided to make a Zupas Copycat Tomato Basil Orzo Soup and the results were fantastic! This Lemon Orzo is super delicious also!
Many years ago my girlfriend treated me to lunch, or was it dinner, anyway it was a meal at Zupas, a local restaurant that serves soups, salads and sandwiches. We absolutely love their nuts about berries salad and usually get that but on this occasion she told me I just had to get the Tomato Basil Orzo soup and that I would never eat another tomato soup that’s as good as this one.
What is Orzo?
Orzo, also risoni, is a form of short-cut pasta, shaped like a large grain of rice.
Orzo can be served alone; as a soup accompaniment; as part of a salad, pilaf, or giouvetsi; or baked in a casserole.
She was right. The addition of orzo is awesome and totally makes the meal.
Technically it’s healthier too.
Why? There’s pasta in it! Why would that be healthier?
Well because you aren’t making a big, fat, gooey grilled cheese to dunk in it so “technically” it’s healthier. See how my eating choices always become a win?
We were later informed that you should mix the tomato and cauliflower soup
The tomato soup is really easy to make, especially if you have a Blendtec to puree it all, and should you not have good, fresh tomatoes just use canned and remember it will be good, just not phenomenal. (That’s for my mom. Apparently Dad has started using that word a lot and we are all secretly giggling about it.) This soup freezes well too so just let it cool and either use a food saver or ziplocs to store it.
Can Tomato Soup Be Frozen?
If you are making the soup specifically for freezing, leave out the cream or milk completely.
You can still freeze leftover tomato soup with cream, using the same methods, but it will require careful reheating to avoid curdling.
At the very end, right as you’re serving up bowls of it, spoon in a little of the orzo and top with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. So. So. So. Good.
Ok, and go ahead and dunk a little crusty bread action in there too. I can’t resist.
Are Tomatoes A Source of Vitamin C?
Tomatoes are a great source of Vitamin C, as well as potassium, folate, and vitamin K.
Looking for more delicious ORZO RECIPES?
- Creamy Garlic Parmesan Orzo
- Ham Lemon Orzo with Parmesan and Peas
- Caprese Orzo Pasta
- Lemon Orzo with Parmesan and Peas
- Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
- Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad
- Cuban Pasta Salad
- Teriyaki Chicken Pasta Salad
- Bacon Chicken Ranch Pasta Salad
- 10 Minute Ranch Tortellini Pasta Salad
- Spring Ham and Asparagus Lemon Cream Pasta
- Turkey Tetrazzini with Crunchy Honey Dijon Topping
- 15 Minute Pesto Pasta
- All our Pasta Recipes here!
Zupas Copycat Tomato Basil Orzo Soup
Zupas Copycat Tomato Basil Orzo Soup
Ingredients
- 8-10 Tomatoes, chopped in quarters
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce
- 1 Cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth
- 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Basil, chopped
- 2/3 Cup Orzo Pasta
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
- Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet that has been lightly drizzled with olive oil. drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and toss to coat.8-10 Tomatoes
- sprinkle evenly with kosher salt and black pepper.1 teaspoon Salt, Pepper
- roast at 425 for 20-40 minutes or until shriveled and soft.
- remove from the oven.
- let cool for a few minutes and then place the tomatoes and any accumulated juices from the pan into a blender (we use blendtec) and puree until you have 2 1/2 cups. if you come up short just add tomato sauce or too much just don't use it all.
- drizzle about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large sauce pot.2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- heat over medium high heat until shimmering.
- add the garlic, turn down to medium and stir frequently.2 Cloves Garlic
- allow to cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- add the tomato puree, juice, broth, tomato sauce brown sugar, salt and pepper.1 1/2 Cup Tomato Sauce, 1 Cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth, 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
- stir and then allow to come to a boil.
- boil for 10 minutes and turn down to a simmer.
- add the milk and simmer for 10-15 minutes.1 Cup Milk
- Stir in the butter and basil.1 Tablespoon Basil, 1 Tablespoon Butter
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta per package instructions.2/3 Cup Orzo Pasta
- Drain.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, add a little pasta and parmesan and serve immediately.2 Tablespoons Fresh Parmesan Cheese
- Allow soup to cool and store in tupperware up to 4 days or in sealed storage bags in the freezer up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Roasted Cauliflower Tomato Soup
Cream of tomato soup with three cheese grilled cheese
I made the Tomato Basil Orzo Soup and it was delicious. Just wanted to let you know that others like me might not have whole tomatoes on hand. I usually only buy cherry tomatoes until summer when I can get the best home grown tomatoes. So, when prepping my items, I counted 5 good sized cherry tomatoes as one tomato when converting for your recipe and cut them in half. It was just a bit shy of 2 cups, so I added tomato sauce to top off to 2 cups since I wanted it a bit thicker. I used Orzo a while back when copying a soup recipe of Macaroni Grill, so I was eager to try your recipe. It’s an excellent recipe that I know I will continue to make. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for the feedback and the tips! That is great information about the cherry tomatoes. So glad you enjoyed it!
Didn’t pick up quantity of orzo to cook. Do you have a preference of type of fresh tomatoes ? If using canned tomatoes, what quantity?
Thanks
Martha
Hi Martha! Thank you for the feedback! It looks like part of the recipe got cut off. I have updated the recipe card. There are 2/3 cups of orzo as well as a little butter and fresh parmesan. If you use fresh tomatoes, we go with romas usually. If you go with canned, I would do about 3 14.5oz cans of tomatoes.
No onion?
Is that because the Zupa recipe doesn’t have onion? I just automatically add!!
Hey Candice! Yes, that is what we found best matches the flavor of Zupas, but definitely feel free to add it!!
Can you give an estimate of how many cups of tomatoes you need for the recipe? 8-10 can vary greatly depending on the size of the tomato. And could you substitute canned fire roasted tomatoes? Thanks
My daughter prepped the tomatoes for this a bit ago, they’re currently in the oven. We’ll be having it with her new favorite BLTs. Everything is farm to table (save for the bread) so I’m sure it will be wonderful. Can’t wait for dinner!! 🙂
Hi, quick question … the instructions (step 3) say “add the tomato puree, juice, broth, tomato sauce brown sugar, salt and pepper”; however, there is no “juice” listed in the ingredients. Can you please clarify? Thank you!
Hi Di, in the instructions it states any accumulated juices from the pan. We just mean that after roasting the tomatoes there will be juices sitting in the bottom of the pan and we add those as well. 🙂 Thanks and let me know if you need anything else.
looks yummy, have pinned it for when the cooking fairy comes to my house
haha, I need a cooking fairy! How do you make that happen?