Oh look, another soup recipe! Have I mentioned I’m on my teeth straightening journey and these aligners really do their job, so soups are my main food group right now? Well I’m not mad about it, with recipes as delicious as this one! Also even though it's the May bank holiday weekend the weather outside is still autumnal at best! So why not get some Mediterranean flair into your kitchen while still having a warming bowl of goodness as a result of it? This creamy, rich and fragrant soup is inspired by a traditional Greek recipe and so full of flavour! And not just that, the chickpeas bring a lot of protein to this dish and the orzo makes it nice and filling. Traditionally egg is used to make avgolemono, but we replace it with tahini and lemon juice for this recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

1 carrot

2 stalks of celery

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

400g chickpeas (drained)

1l vegetable stock

100g orzo

juice of a large lemon

2 tbsp tahini

150g baby spinach

salt and pepper to taste

Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the chopped vegetables for about 10 to 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the tahini with the juice of the lemon as well as two tablespoons of vegetable broth. Stir until the mixture has an even texture, then set aside.

Add the herbs to the pot and cook for another minute or two before adding the drained chickpeas as well as the vegetable stock. Stir well, then add the orzo and reduce the heat. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes or until the orzo is al dente.

Now stir in the tahini mixture and watch as your soup thickens considerably. Stir in the baby spinach and let simmer for another 5ish minutes then season to taste and serve with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.

That’s all there is to do! This recipe makes about 4 portions and keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days. The orzo will continue to absob the liquid though so it will be more of a stew in consistency the next day. If that’s not your thing, simply add some more stock when reheating.

Have you tried avgolemono before? What is your favourite Mediterranean dish? Leave me a comment and let me know.