posted Dec 16, 2011, 1:56 PM by ItIsTheFOOD Janie Heinrich
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updated Dec 16, 2011, 1:58 PM
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Hearty Vegetable Pesto SoupFragrant basil pesto adds a taste of winter to this healthier version of a classic French vegetable pesto soup. Aromatic vegetables add flavour and plenty of vitamins while keeping the fat in check. What a wonderful way to eat your vegetables! The pesto can be made with basil as in recipe or with spinach or arugula for a new fresh taste. This soup will nourish your body and your mind. Serve it with raw hard goat cheese slivers and dark rye bread dribbled with olive oil. Enjoy... 500 g Italian tomatoes 1 onion, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1 celery stalk, sliced 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 yellow zucchini, or 3 baby squash, about 150 g in total, sliced 1 green zucchini, sliced 1 3⁄4 cups reduced-salt chicken stock 1 3⁄4 cups reduced-salt vegetable stock 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves 3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
- Peel, seed and chop the Italian tomatoes.
- Grease a large saucepan with nonstick cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, yellow zucchini or squash, and the green zucchini. Sauté the vegetables until they are soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock and vegetable stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the flavours have blended, about 20 minutes.
- Place the basil and pesto in a food processor and pulse until the basil is chopped. Process until the pesto is thick and creamy.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the pesto and serve.
- Hearty vegetable pesto soup variations: For vegetarian vegetable soup, substitute another 1 3/4 cups vegetable stock for the chicken stock. You can also vary the vegetables. Always start with sautéed onion, carrot, celery and garlic. In spring, add a handful of fresh green peas during the last 10 minutes. In the winter, add a variety of cooked kale, collard greens, cubed squashes and roots cooked the last 10 minutes.
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