Creamy Leek Soup with Pancetta, White Beans, and Orzo

by Happy Stirring
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We are just over a month into fall and the weather is starting to get colder, meaning…it’s soup season!! I wanted to do a re-shoot for this creamy leek soup because it’s still one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever shared on Happy Stirring.

I’m sure there are many people that are not looking forward to colder weather and raking leaves but hopefully this warm, filling, and comforting creamy leek soup will change their mind! I know I look forward to this every year (I mean, I make it year round, but it just hits different when you’re wearing a sweater and warming your hands with the bowl.)

Creamy Leek Soup with Pancetta, White Beans, and Orzo

The pancetta brings the perfect saltiness to this creamy leek soup. The white beans and the orzo help thicken and make the soup feel heartier. We love a good hearty soup in the fall and winter, it really warms the soul on a cold night. Especially when it’s packed with veggies (there’s some secret spinach in there!) This is one of those recipes that you’re family will be asking for every week, I know this one is widely requested for dinner.

I posted the original creamy leek soup post last fall and I always come back to this one whenever anyone ever asks me what my favorite recipe is. The delicious creamy yet hearty soup is one of my crowning achievements. I hope that you try this one – and if you do, make sure to tag me on my Instagram! The recipe for this stayed the same this time around (don’t mess with perfection, am I right?) But I did manage to up my photography skills since then.

Learning to Love Soup

After writing about how much I love this soup, it’s funny to say that I didn’t even like soup a couple years ago. But turns out, I just needed to try new things, and find out what works best for me. Instead of a broth type of soup, I love a good creamy soup (hence how much I love this soup.)

That being said I don’t have too many other soup recipes as of yet, but I plan to keep experimenting and finding easy but delicious recipes for Happy Stirring. Make sure to subscribe to my emails and stay up to date with all my new content!

More Recipes to Try:

Creamy Leek Soup with White Beans, Pancetta, and Orzo

Jump into the fall season and start making soup! We're into October now, and it's officially getting colder out, especially at night! I'm excited for fall and the colder weather, but I know a lot of people are not. Hopefully this delicious warm creamy leek & white bean soup can change your mind!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 oz pancetta diced
  • 6 cloves garlic chopped
  • 4 Tbsps butter
  • 3 large leeks (about 3/4 lb) chopped
  • 1 Tbsp crushed rosemary
  • 1/2 Cup Heavy cream
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 big handfuls spinach
  • 1 cup orzo
  • 1 15 oz can of white beans drained and rinsed

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot over medium – high heat, add pancetta and cook until browned and crispy, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan.
  • Add garlic and cook in the pancetta fat for about 2 – 3 minutes, or until fragrant. If you are making this vegetarian, use a 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil or butter instead of pancetta fat.
  • Add butter, leeks, and rosemary and stir to combine and melt butter. Cook 5 -7 minutes stirring frequently, until leeks are starting to get soft.
  • Add vegetable stock, and water and stir. Bring to a simmer and add heavy cream. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add spinach and cook 5 additional minutes, until wilted. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender) and blend until smooth.
  • Add pancetta back to pan, white beans, and orzo. Cook for another 10 minutes. Serve with parmesan and Italian bread.
Keyword easy dinner, healthy, hearty soup, leeks, one pan breakfast, orzo, pancetta, roasted vegetables, soup, white beans