Recipe
Classic Minestrone Soup Con Pesto Alla Genovese
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Serves: 10
This vegetable-rich soup is healthy and delicious. It’s the perfect comfort food for chilly days in early fall. A dollop of homemade pesto brings all the flavours together beautifully.
Contributed By: Developed for CFC by Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
Ingredients
1/4 cup (60 mL)
olive oil
2
leek(s), light green and white part, sliced
8
cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (250 mL)
baby carrots
2
stalks celery, sliced
3
bay leaves
8 cups (2 L)
low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups (750 mL)
chicken, cooked, diced
1
can canned diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 cup (250 mL)
low-sodium canned navy beans, well rinsed
2 cups (500 mL)
eggplant, diced
1 cup (250 mL)
green cabbage, chopped
1 cup (250 mL)
Savoy cabbage, chopped
1 tsp (5 mL)
thyme, fresh, minced
2 cups (500 mL)
whole wheat rotini
1/2 cup (125 mL)
parsley, fresh
1/2 cup (125 mL)
basil, fresh
1/4 cup (60 mL)
Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL)
sea salt
Instructions
1
To make soup, heat 2 Tbsp (30 mL) olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Sauté leeks, 6 cloves of garlic, celery, carrots and bay leaves. Cook for about 10 minutes until vegetables are softened.
2
Add chicken broth, cooked chicken, tomatoes and juice, beans and eggplant. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
3
Add cabbage, thyme and pasta and simmer with lid on for about 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Don’t overcook the pasta.
4
To make pesto, puree parsley, basil, remaining 2 cloves of garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and salt in food processor or blender.
5
Serve each bowl of soup with a teaspoon of pesto on top.