Description
Minestrone soup with homemade pesto is a meatless meal-in-a-bowl full of yummy veggies, packed with flavor and very satisfying. A vegetarian meal that the whole family will love!
Ingredients
1 yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
4 Carrots, diced(about 1 cup)
1 box of mushrooms ( button or Cremini), diced (about 2 cups)
2 zucchinis, diced (about 2 cups)
4 stalks of celery, diced (about 1 cup)
2 cups of fresh green beans, chopped in small pieces with the tips removed
4 roma tomatoes, diced with the seeds removed(cherry tomatoes or hot house tomatoes also work fine, use what you have!)
2 cups of cauliflower, divided into small florets
1, 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 14-oz cans of Cannellini beans
2 cups of Ditalini Pasta (elbow pasta also works but I love the look of Ditalini!)
8 cups of vegetable stock (or water)
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp Fleur de sel
1/2 tsp Ground Pepper
12 cups of water
2 tbsp olive oil
For the homemade Pesto:
The full recipe for my 5 minute simple basil pesto is found here
For the Minestrone Soup with homemade pesto I have halved the recipe as follows:
2 cups of fresh basil
3 cloves of garlic
1/3 of a cup of pine nuts
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
1/2 cup of olive oil
Instructions
Drizzle olive oil in to your big soup pot. Heat over medium- high heat.
Add the chopped garlic and onions and stir until they become translucent.
Stir in the celery and the carrots until they start to sweat and the flavors begin to stick to the bottom of the pot. Pour in 4 cups of water to deglaze the pan. This is Le Chef's trick for adding flavor to the soup.
Now we can add in the zucchinis, cauliflower, fresh tomatoes and the canned diced tomatoes as well as the salt, pepper and herbes de provence.
Bring soup up to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium.
Add the remaining 4 cups of water . Check the liquid level in the soup. You will want the ingredients to be generously covered with broth, but not too much. Add more water if needed.
Allow the soup to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
I like to add in the mushrooms, cannellini beans and green beans last so that they do not get mushy. Set the timer for another 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook your ditalini pasta according to package instructions in a separate pot.
Chef's Tip** Past absorbs an incredible amount of liquid - if you cook the pasta in with the soup it will become mushy quickly and does not store well. I recommend to always cook your pasta on the side and then simply spoon in a half cup of cooked pasta into the bottom of each bowl and pour the soup on top.
If you have a rind of parmesan in your fridge, add that in the pot while it is simmering, it will give off a rich flavor.
Once the 30 minutes are up, check that the green beans are cooked the way you like them and then you are ready to serve.
Mix the pesto ingredients (garlic, pine nuts, parmesan, basil and olive oil) together in a food processor until finely chopped. Add more olive oil if needed.
Spoon onto the top of each bowl of Minestrone soup.
I also love to grate aged parmesan over my soup, it feels as satisfying as if you are eating a big bowl of pasta but it is really just stock full of veggies!! Served with a fresh baked baguette, it is the ultimate treat.
Notes
La Mise en Place
The first thing I do is chop all of my ingredients first. I have adapted the concept of “la mise en place” from my husband’s professional kitchens, it is the best way to reduce the stress out of cooking, especially when you have little ones underfoot. I can chop all of the ingredients at my leisure and then I only start cooking over heat when I can just toss the ingredients in.
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