Manestra (Greek Orzo Soup) Vegan
Manestra is a very traditional hearty, rich soup enjoyed all over Greece. It’s the perfect meal on a cold winter day. Manestra warms you with the flavors of summer sun tomatoes and fills you with buttery plump orzo. Just to warn you, it’s completely addictive so be sure to use your bottomless bowls for this dish.
hearty, healthy, delicious
This one-pot-wonder is so simple to make, you’ll be so surprised by how flavorful and satisfying it is. The key to this recipe is in the tomatoes. Roasted, peeled garden tomatoes are always best and I save my frozen stash especially for this dish but you can use a good, canned substitute too.
roasted, frozen garden tomatoes
When using canned tomatoes, make sure to use whole, peeled tomatoes and to drain off any sauce that they may be packed in. You want just the tomatoes themselves. Break them up well with a fork and they’ll just melt into the soup.
crushed tomatoes and orzo
Once you add the water, make sure to stay near the stove and stir the orzo frequently. Orzo has the tendency to stick to the bottom of the pot so stir, stir, stir. Keep your stove on low heat the entire cooking time and you should be fine. Gentle, low heat is very important to bring all the flavors together perfectly.
stir frequently on low heat
This came from the website http://thegreekvegan.com/manestra/
Many of the recipes from that website are stellar.
- Preparing Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Served Person: 6
vegan
vegetarian
white meat free
tree nut free
nut free
gluten free
red meat free
shellfish free
contains pasta
dairy free
pescatarian
- 3 cups water
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 cups whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups orzo
- 1 tbsp dried crushed oregano
- 1 tsp salt /freshly ground pepper
- Carbohydrate 37.4716206694257 g
- Cholesterol 41.9604 mg
- Fat 4.50395667061576 g
- Fiber 1.46733334305169 g
- Protein 7.47332133369289 g
- Saturated Fat 0.641674400564273 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (286g)
- Sodium 28.8864666718039 mg
- Sugar 36.0042873263741 g
- Trans Fat 0.564629866793637 g
- Calories 218 calories
Saute onions in olive oil over low heat until soft. Add tomatoes, spices and orzo. Stir to combine well. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Add water and cook gently on low heat for approximately 25 minutes. Stir often to make sure your orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of your pot. Serve hot with crusty bread. To reheat, you may need to add a few tablespoons of water to loosen up the soup as the orzo absorbs the soup liquid the longer it sits. Reheat, covered, on low heat with added water. You’ll fall in love with this one-pot-Greek-vegan-wonder!
