Minestra D’Orzo Recipe: A Popular Italian Soup

As the winter months are coming and it is time to start making some hearty, warming soups, we thought we would share our minestra d’orzo recipe with you. Also known as zuppa di orzo, it is an Italian barley soup.

We have started our series of Italian soup recipes as we take our culinary tour around Europe. We have already completed our recipe series for Scottish soups, Polish soups, and French soups. Minestra d’orzo is the first Italian soup recipe we are sharing.

In some ways, minestra d’orzo is like minestrone and ribollita, which are two other popular Italian soups. It is also like some other European soups that contain barley, including the Scottish soup Scotch broth and the Polish soup krupnik.

It is one of the heartiest soups you can eat, yet it is simple and easy to make. Our recipe for minestra d’orzo contains bacon for texture and flavour, but you can make a vegetarian version of the soup simply by omitting that ingredient. Here is our delicious and easy minestra d’orzo recipe.

Useful Information

Ingredients for the Minestra d’Orzo Recipe

• 200g (8 oz) barley
• 1.5 litres (5 or 6 cups) of water or vegetable broth
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 stalks of celery, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, finely diced
• 75g (2.5 oz) diced smoked bacon
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to Make the Minestra d’Orzo Recipe

1. Prepare the vegetables for the soup.
2. Add the olive oil to a large pan and put over medium heat on the hob.
3. Next, add the diced onion, carrot, and celery to the pan, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook the vegetables until they begin softening, then add the bacon/ pancetta/ speck to the pan and cook for another few minutes.
5. Then, add the barley to the pan. Stir the barley into the vegetables so the barley can take on some of the flavour and begin to cook.
6. Pour the water or vegetable stock over the ingredients, then leave to simmer for 45 minutes.
7. Halfway through cooking, check there is enough water in the pan. If you want a thicker broth, you should have enough water. However, if you want a lot of broth with the barley and vegetables, you may decide to add a little more.
8. The soup is cooked when the barley and vegetables are tender. Check by tasting a barley grain before serving.
9. Taste the soup and add extra seasoning if you wish.

Additional Tips

• You can omit the smoked bacon if you prefer to make a vegetarian minestra d’orzo recipe.
• If you do not like the smoky flavour of smoked bacon, use regular bacon instead. You can also use speck or diced smoked pancetta as alternatives.
• For a meatier soup, use meat stock and leftover meat from a Sunday lunch, such as lamb or beef.
• You can make minstra d’orzo in a soup maker or slow cooker by sauteeing the vegetables and bacon first, then adding the barley and stock before leaving to cook on low heat.
• Minestra d’orzo is not suitable for those on gluten-free diets as it contains barley. However, you might like to try our recipe for vegetable mulligatawny, which contains vegetables, rice, and spices.
• Serve the minestra d’orzo soup recipe on its own, with your choice of bread or with croutons. You might also like to grate a little Parmesan cheese over the top for a little tang and some authentic Italian flavour.