Author Notes
If you love veggie soups as much as my family do, then my New-Fashioned Pesto Minestrone Bisque Soup will make your mouth happy. This isn't a complicated recipe and you can find every ingredient at your local grocery store. I make this throughout the year, whether it be 90 degrees F. outside (or 28 F.) it doesn't matter to my family. I make soups all year long and this recipe, during August is like a transition from Summer to Autumn by adding the "bisque" part (the cream.) It makes the old-fashioned minestrone feel like the fireplace is a coming! :)
Although this recipe seems like there is a ton of ingredients and a lot of chopping involved, which there is, you can always visit the produce section of your grocery store where nowadays they are preparing things already diced and sliced for us. That will save time and all you have to do is put it together.
My minestrone has a ton of nutrition, flavor an texture to it. You can add whatever you like on top (that's comforting for the wintery part of the year,) like croutons and cheese. This is a wonderful soup that freezes extremely well and I hope that you try it. Enjoy! —Allyson D'Angelo
Ingredients
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4 tablespoons
olive oil
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2q cups
yellow onions, diced
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2 cups
carrots, diced
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2 cups
leeks (white and light green parts only,) diced
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3
stalks celery, diced
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5
medium potatoes, peeled, 1" dice
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4
large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
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2
quarts low sodium chicken broth
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2 cups
canned crushed tomatoes with sauce
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1
water
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2 tablespoons
dried parsley and dried basil
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1
bay leaf
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2 cups
diced zucchini
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2 cups
diced yellow squash
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1 cup
dried shell pasta (or your favorite)
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1
16 oz. can small white beans, rinsed and drained
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2 cups
frozen garden peas, defrosted under cold water
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1/2 cup
Pesto (basil)
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1 cup
heavy cream
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Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
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1. Heat the olive oil over a medium high heat in a large pot for 2 minutes and then add the next 6 ingredients and cook for 10 minutes stirring often. Next, add the basil, parsley and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes more.
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2. Add the chicken broth, tomato sauce and water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a rolling simmer (medium-low.) Cover and cook until the potatoes are becoming fork tender. At this point, take a potato masher and mash some of the potatoes in the pot (this will add thickening to the soup) and then add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes more.
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3. Next, add the zucchini and squash and cook for 5 minutes. Then, add the peas, beans and pesto. Cook for 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cream until well blended.
Serve with whatever you desire:- toasted and buttered rustic Italian bread, croutons, cheesy toppings, fresh chopped parsley or basil. Hey! It's almost winter again...I'll let you be creative! Enjoy folks!
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