Manestra Recipe: Easy Recipe for Greek Tomato and Orzo Soup

Manestra, or Greek orzo pasta soup, is a simple and comforting soup made with orzo pasta, tomatoes, and various herbs and spices. Other typical ingredients in a manestra recipe are onions, garlic, and oregano, and the soup may also include carrots and celery. Orzo pasta is added to the broth and cooked until tender.

Manestra is a popular dish in Greece, especially during the winter, and is often served with a sprinkle of grated cheese and a side of bread. It is similar to the Italian soup minestra d’orzo, as both dishes share ingredients and cooking techniques.

The recipe is light enough for a tasty lunch, yet hearty enough to serve as a main meal with a larger portion and an accompaniment. Here is our recipe for manestra. Image credit: Photo by Angela Khebou on Pexels.com

Manestra Recipe: Easy Recipe for Greek Tomato and Orzo Soup

Recipe by Liz FlynnCourse: Soup RecipesCuisine: GreekDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Vegetarian

YES

Vegan

YES

Dairy-free

YES

Gluten-free

NO

Ingredients for the Manestra Recipe

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium red onion, finely diced

• 2 celery sticks, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

• 250 g orzo

• 400 g can of chopped tomatoes

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 litre vegetable stock

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to Make Manestra

• Add the olive oil to a large pan and put it over medium heat on the hob.
• Then add the onion and celery and sauté for approximately 4 minutes, until the ingredients begin to soften.
• Add the garlic to the pan and cook for another minute, then add the tomato puree and cook for a further minute.
• Next, add the orzo to the pan and cook for another two or three minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, and oregano to the other ingredients and stir.
• Pour over the vegetable stock and stir again before bringing the soup to a boil.
• When the soup is boiling, reduce the heat, cover the pan, and let the ingredients simmer for 10 minutes.
• Season the soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cook for 5 minutes before serving.

Additional Tips for Making Greek Tomato and Orzo Soup

• Add a large glass of dry red wine to the soup for a richer flavour. If you want to add wine, put it in after the onions, celery, and garlic. Leave it to simmer for approximately five minutes to let the alcohol cook out before adding the tomato puree, orzo, and chopped tomatoes. 
• You can also add some chopped carrots to the soup. Dice them finely and add them to the pan with the onions and celery at the beginning of making the manestra recipe. 
• Add texture to the soup by adding croutons.
• Living a healthy lifestyle? Omit the sugar and salt and add extra black pepper for flavour.
• For a heartier meal, try our Manestra recipe with some homemade bread rolls for dunking and soaking up the juices.
• Garnish the soup with a sprinkle or try a grating of hard cheese, such as Parmesan.
• Experiment by adding different herbs to create a soup to suit your palate.