Tuscan Bean Soup with Pesto and Croutons
I’ve been surprised lately by the number of people I have seen in clinic who don’t know how to make soup
So I thought I’d share one of my most basic but very tasty soups I make
It’s one of those soups where you can add pretty much any veggies you have to hand
And add any tin of beans, lentils, chickpeas or even 4 or 5-bean mix you fancy, to boost the protein and carb content
And make this soup more filling; more like a meal
This time I used cannellini beans as I love how creamy and soft they are
BTW, all that fibre in those beans (or other legumes) and vegetables feed your gut microbes, keeping your insides healthy and happy
Which also supports your immune system
Plus this soup can be made in bulk and frozen
I love having pots of soup in my freezer for those nights when you get home and can’t be bothered cooking
You do have those nights, right?
I sure do!
homemade pesto – pesto recipe is at the bottom of the pesto pasta recipe on the page in this link. I love to make batches of pesto in summer when basil is at its best and freeze it.
Simple additions of pesto and croutons takes this soup to whole new level
It turns a fairly standard soup into one that’s super delicious
So dust off your soup pot and start chopping
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 sticks of celery, diced
- 1 cup, approx 150g, diced pumpkin
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 x 400 gram can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 litre (4 cups) of chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 x 400 gram can cannellini beans or other legumes of choice, drained and rinsed
- 50 grams green beans, sliced into 2 cm lengths
- 100 grams baby spinach leaves
- Pepper to taste
- ½ cup pesto, to serve, optional
- Approx 4 slices of wholegrain or sourdough toast, cut into small cubes or 'croutons' to serve
- Add onion and oil to a large pot.
- Saute for about 4-5 minutes adding water as needed to stop it from burning or sticking.
- When soft add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add carrots, celery, pumpkin, zucchini, tomatoes and stock.
- Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes, until veggies are soft.
- (Sometimes, if short on time, I don’t saute the onion and garlic first and just throw everything into the pot and start cooking. Sauteing first does develop the flavour though.)
- Add tinned beans and green beans and simmer a further 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir through baby spinach leaves and add pepper to taste.
- (If you prefer your soup thinner, add a little extra water or stock).
- Serve topped with a big dollop of pesto and scattered with croutons.
- Enjoy
I often replace onion with leek, celery with fennel and if I don’t have pumpkin, I just use all carrots or vice versa
You can also replace the green beans and spinach with 2 cups of shredded cabbage
