Delicious Minestrone Soup with Green Pesto


A Fabulous Meal Made with Fresh Basil and Many Vegetables



Feeling lazy and want to just relax and enjoy the next few days. Why not make up a big pot of this minestrone soup and keep it in the refrigerator for a few days.

This is an absolutely wonderful soup and needs to be made often. It is the kind of soup that will make anyone want more and more. Of all the recipes that are posted here, this is the one that needs to be copied right now.

 

Ingredients of the Minestrone Soup

  • 1 tablespoon of virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups of chicken stock
  • 1 cup of green beans
  • 1/2 cup of fresh okra
  • 1/2 cup of corn
  • 1 cup of white beans
  • 1/2 cup of peas
  • 1/2 cup of potatoes
  • The rind of parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup of very tiny macaroni

 

Instructions on How to Cook the Soup

  1. Place the oil in a large pot and heat. After the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 5 minutes or until the onions are lightly brown. Add in the minced garlic and cook slightly. Now add the tomatoes and stir the tomatoes well with the onions.
  2. Add the rest of the veggies except the peas. Add the chicken stock to the soup now. Drop in the rind of the parmesan cheese.
  3. Cook the soup until all the veggies are almost tender. At this point add the peas in and the macaroni pieces. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the macaroni is done.

 

Ingredients for the Pesto


 In a small food processor place the following ingredients:
  • 1 cup of spinach or basil
  • 2 tablespoons of walnuts
  • 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
  1. After the above ingredients are mixed and chopped, slowly pour in the oil.
  2. 1/4 cup of virgin olive oil
  3. Add the above pesto to the soup now. Cook only for a few moments and taste to see if the soup needs any seasoning such as salt and pepper.
  4. Place the soup into bowls and top with some more paremsan cheese. Serve this soup with a nice arugula salad topped with some pomegranate seeds. Top the salad with a lemon and olive oil dressing.
Serve this salad and soup with some garlic toast.

 To make the toast. Butter lightly some French toast slices and place in the oven to toast. After the toast is nice and crusty, remove from the oven and rub some fresh cut garlic cloves over the toast.

 For a totally healthy meal, avoid the butter and serve just plain French bread that has been lightly toasted.

Note: Swiss Chard may be substituted for the spinach and basil.

Photo Courtesy of Photobucket:  wallflower1116

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