Spring Vegetable Soup with Orzo

SPRING VEGETABLE SOUP with ORZO

No joke, this took MAYBE 30 minutes to make.  I got the recipe from the weekly handout we get at Weight Watchers.  Yes, the very same Weight Watchers meeting I have been attending for a decade, and yet I never lose any weight.  Go figure.

6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup uncooked orzo

1 large carrot, diced (but I'm a rebel -- I "sliced," not "diced" my carrot)

1-1/2 cups diagonally sliced asparagus (bite-size pieces)

1 cup frozen green peas (I omitted the peas because Will doesn't like them…)

4 medium scallions, sliced

1/3 cup fresh, chopped dill (I used a sprinkle of dill weed instead, and it was GREAT)

2 T fresh lemon juice (I just used the concentrated lemon juice in the plastic lemon container)

1/4 tsp table salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (seriously - WHO DOES THIS???)

Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat.

Add orzo and carrot; boil 7 minutes.

Add asparagus and frozen peas; boil until orzo and vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in scallions, dill, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Yields about 1 cup per serving.

NOTES:  A few handfuls of fresh baby spinach stirred in at the end of cooking would be a nice addition to this soup.  Change up the flavor by substituting fresh parsley for the dill and serving sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

I ADDED TWO CHICKEN BREASTS, THAT I QUICKLY PAN-FRIED BEFORE ADDING TO THE SOUP.  OF COURSE, I ACTUALLY CHOPPED THE CHICKEN BREASTS INTO BITE SIZE PIECES BEFORE I ADDED THEM TO THE SOUP.  TWO WHOLE CHICKEN BREASTS IN THE SOUP WOULD HAVE BEEN WEIRD.

The recipe says that it takes 13 minutes prep time, 15 minutes cooking time, and it serves 8.  They lie.  It most certainly does not serve 8, unless they are eight dwarves.  It serves 4.