I’m always looking for a dinner menu ideas. On this rainy day a soup recipe showed up in my email and caught my eye.

On this same day, I also got some locally-grown carrots in my Da Box CSA bag from the Hawaii Food Basket. I had some leftover store-bought rotisserie chicken in my fridge that I intended to add to the soup.

The recipe that showed up in my email feed was for an Italian Orzo Spinach Soup published on the Gimme Some oven blog.  Did you click on the link?  Doesn’t it look delicious?

If you read some of my earlier posts, you know I am not a chef.  I can chop and layer so I can handle making most salads.  Soups are similar.  Just chop and throw in a pot.  I can handle making most soups.

To start this soup off, I chopped some onions. Well, actually, I first sent my husband to the store to get the ingredients I didn’t have in my pantry and fridge. All I needed was celery, spinach, and orzo.  I don’t know what store he went to but orzo was sold out.  Maybe others saw this same recipe and beat him to the store.  He offered to go to another store, but I told him that the orzo was not a necessary component for me this time. I got to work and chopped the onions.  Then went to the stove to heat the pot and realized that we were out of propane.  So I bagged the chopped onions and saved it for the next day. So, on the next day, I sauteed the chopped onions in the stockpot.

Then I added the diced carrots, celery, and garlic and sauteed them for a few more minutes.  The aroma–I love the smell of garlic! Then added chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. I chopped up the leftover rotisserie chicken I had and added that to the pot too.  If I had mushrooms, I would add that too.  Just before serving, I added a bag of spinach and let it wilt.  That’s it!  If I can make this, you can too!

I want to try adding the orzo next time.  I think that the pasta will thicken the broth a little and make it even heartier and more comforting.Simple. Tasty. Comforting. Perfect for a rainy Hilo evening.  Living Hilo Style.