Creamy Lemon Orzo Soup

I have been under the weather for the past few days and the temperature here has been absolutely freezing. So, it made perfect sense to whip up a big pot of soup. I didn't exactly feel like cooking, so this recipe was just perfect. It was fast, easy, comforting, warm and filling. Since I was feeling lazy, I bought a pre-chopped celery and onion mix in the produce section (this saved some time when I was putting it all together). I served this soup with a warm loaf of french bread. Enjoy!

This recipe is from the blog Baker Gets Cooking. Here is the recipe verbatim:

1 large onion, diced
1 large celery stalk, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil <I used coconut oil>
1/2 teaspoon salt <I used much more salt than this - just taste it and add as needed>
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups chicken stock <I used vegetable broth>
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup orzo noodles
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice from one lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, sauté onions, celery, carrots salt and pepper in canola oil over medium low heat until softened, about 10 minutes.

 Add garlic to pot and cook for a few minutes.

Add chicken stock and oregano to pot, bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are very soft. I like to blend the soup with an immersion blender, just a bit, to break the veggies into smaller bits. <I put half the soup into the blender and pulsed it a few times to break up the veggies>

Add the orzo noodles at this point. Cook mixture over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the noodles are tender.  Stir them often as they like to sink to the bottom of the pot and stick.

Add the zest, lemon juice and whipping cream. Mix well and serve.