Ligurian Minestrone Soup with Pesto
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 minutes mins
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time45 minutes mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 349kcal
- 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
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.
- 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.
Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 162mg | Potassium: 1006mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6818IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 3mg