Classic Minestrone Soup Con Pesto Alla Genovese
Submitted by bosssissy
Hearty Italian minestrone packed with beans, eggplant, zucchini, spinach, cabbage, and pasta, topped with a bright homemade basil pesto. A one-pot vegetable soup that eats like a meal.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
60 minREADY
75 minWhen the garden’s overflowing or the farmers market haul is looking ambitious, this is the soup to make.
Leeks, onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes get sauteed until soft, then simmered for an hour with dried beans, eggplant, tomatoes, and broth. Cabbage, spinach, zucchini, and pasta join the party near the end so they keep their color and bite.
The whole thing gets crowned with a spoonful of homemade pesto: fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan, and good olive oil blended into a fragrant green sauce that transforms every bowl.
Pro Tips
- Stir the pesto into individual bowls, not the whole pot. It stays vibrant green and the leftover soup reheats better without it.
- Add more broth if the soup gets too thick after the pasta absorbs liquid overnight.
- Walnuts make a great budget-friendly swap for pine nuts in the pesto.
- Vegetable broth works if you want to keep this fully vegetarian.
Ingredients
Directions
In olive oil sauté until soft onions, leeks, carrots, celery, and potatoes.
Add dry beans, eggplant and cook down.
Add chicken broth, water, salt, pepper, tomatoes and cook for about 1 hour covered.
Add cabbage, spinach, zucchini.
Add pasta.
If too thick add more chicken broth.
When done add pesto sauce.
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