Ligurian Minestrone Soup with Pesto

A close up of Ligurian minestrone soup in a bowl with pesto on top

5 from 2 votes

Ligurian Minestrone Soup packed full of goodness with squash, zucchini, cabbage, beans, pasta, and topped with homemade Genovese pesto. This recipe is not only hearty and healthy but is packed full of delicious flavour.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

1 onion
1 small butternut squash (3 cups/450g)
4 medium potatoes (3 cups/450g)
2 cups green beans (180g)
2 zucchini (courgette)
¾ cups savoy cabbage (250g)
2 cups canned cannellini beans (300g) * see notes if using dried beans
1.5 cups short pasta (150g)
1 parmesan rind (optional)
7 cups chicken or vegetable stock (1.6 litres)

Pesto ingredients

2 tightly packed cups fresh basil (50g)
2 tablespoons pinenuts (30g)
1 small clove garlic
⅔ cup freshly grated pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (40g)
⅓ cup olive oil (80ml)
Salt to season

Instructions

Prepare your ingredients

Finely chop the onion and cut all other vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Make sure your stock is ready.

To make the minestrone

Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large, deep pot. Add the finely chopped onion and saute until soft (around 2-3 minutes).
Next, add the zucchini, squash and potatoes to the pot along with 6.5 cups (1.6 litres) of stock and add a good pinch of salt. Add a parmesan rind if using, bring to a boil then cover the pot and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
Uncover the pot and add the green beans, canned beans, cabbage and pasta. Cover again for 5 minutes to wilt the cabbage then uncover and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
To make the pesto
Add all the pesto ingredients to a bowl and blitz to a smooth paste using an immersion blender (hand-held). Alternatively you can so this in a food processor or mortar and pestle.

To serve

Taste the soup for seasoning and add salt as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each bowl with a heaped teaspoon of basil pesto, stir in and serve.

Video

Notes

If using dried beans - make sure to soak the beans overnight first (usually at least 12 hours) then add them at the same time as the stock.
What vegetables to use - this is a great soup for using up any leftover veggies that are hanging around, use anything you have.
Cutting your veggies - make sure to cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly and are easy to eat with a spoon.
Adding pasta to your soup - pasta inflates and turns mushy the longer it's in liquid. We recommend only adding pasta to the portions you are going to eat right away.
Storing pesto - leftover pesto will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days
Leftovers and freezing - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 2-3 days or can be frozen. This soup is best frozen within 1 day of being made.

Nutrition