Green on Green Pasta Soup

This soup earns its name by stacking green on green: leeks start the pot, cabbage wilts into the broth, zucchini and green beans go in halfway through, and sweet peas land at the end to keep their color bright. The layered approach matters because each vegetable has a different cooking time, and dumping everything in at once turns the whole pot grey and overcooked.

Orzo is the right pasta choice here. The tiny grain cooks directly in the broth, picking up flavor without turning the soup starchy the way a heavier shape would.

Fresh parsley stirred in off the heat keeps its grassy punch intact, and a shower of grated Parmesan or a squeeze of lemon at the table pulls everything together.

Kitchen Tips

• Rinse the sliced leeks thoroughly in a bowl of cold water; grit hides between the layers and nobody wants a sandy spoonful
• Pull the pot off the heat the moment the pasta is tender, residual heat keeps cooking it and soggy orzo is no fun
• Season in stages, lightly at the leek stage and again at the end, so the broth builds layered flavor
• Leftovers thicken overnight as the orzo drinks up liquid; loosen with a splash of broth when reheating

Variations

• Swap orzo for small shells, ditalini, or broken spaghetti if that is what is in the pantry
• Stir in a handful of baby spinach or chopped kale with the peas for even more green
• Add a Parmesan rind to the broth while the cabbage wilts for a richer, savory backbone