Pesto Bean Soup Recipes

Steps:

• In a 4-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 5 ingredients. Stir in 1/2 cup pesto. Cook, covered, on low until vegetables are tender, 4-6 hours. Before serving, stir in remaining pesto and the cheese. If desired, serve with additional pesto and cheese.

Steps:

• Put the chicken in a large pot and cover with the broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken from the pot to a cutting board. Skim the surface of the broth with a slotted spoon to remove any skin that's floated to the surface. Remove the meat from the chicken bones and shred with two forks; discard the skin. Add the meat back to the pot along with the spinach.
• Turn the heat to medium until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Swirl the pesto into the soup and season with salt.

Steps:

• Drain the white beans and combine with 2 quarts water in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, then add half the onion, half the garlic and the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add salt to taste.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and add the remaining chopped onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the leeks and remaining garlic. Stir together for a few minutes, and add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and the mixture is fragrant, five to 10 minutes. Stir this mixture into the soup pot, add all of the remaining vegetables except the green beans, and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
• While the soup is simmering, blanch the green beans for five minutes in salted boiling water. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.
• To make the pistou, mash the garlic with a generous pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Remove it and set aside. Grind the basil to a paste in the mortar, a handful at a time, then add the garlic back in and mix together well. Work in the olive oil a tablespoon at a time, then stir in the cheese.
• Add the pasta to the simmering soup about 10 minutes before serving, and cook until cooked al dente. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Stir the blanched green beans into the soup and heat through. Serve, adding a spoonful of pesto to each bowl for guests to stir in. Pass additional Parmesan for sprinkling.

Steps:

• To make the soup, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and leek and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and broth. Bring to a simmer. Cook until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour. Stir in potato cubes. Cook until potato and beans are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, to make the pesto, place basil, shallots and garlic in a food processor. Process until chopped. Add olive oil and water. Process until smooth, stopping several times to scrape down sides of work bowl. Season with salt. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with 2 teaspoons of the pesto and serve.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Cook the garlic for a few seconds, then add the courgettes and cook for 3 mins until they start to soften. Stir in the peas and cannellini beans, pour on the hot stock and cook for a further 3 mins.
• Stir the pesto through the soup with some seasoning, then ladle into bowls and serve with crusty brown bread, if you like. Or pop in a flask to take to work.