Green Minestrone alla Genovese with Basil Pesto

A hearty Italian vegetable soup with potatoes, green beans and small pasta, finished with fresh basil pesto. It is filling, uncomplicated and suits any season.

By yumbelo · 4 servings · 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 EL Olive oil
• 1 Stück Onion
• 2 Stück Garlic cloves
• 2 Stück Carrots
• 2 Stück Celery stalks
• 2 Stück Waxy potatoes
• 1 Stück Zucchini
• 150 g Green beans
• 400 g Chopped tomatoes (can)
• 1500 ml Vegetable broth
• 1 Stück Bay leaf
• 1 Dose White beans (can, drained)
• 100 g Small pasta (ditalini)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Bund Bunch of basil
• 30 g Pine nuts
• 50 g Parmesan, freshly grated
• 4 EL Olive oil for the pesto
• 1 Stück Garlic clove for the pesto

Method

1. Peel the onion and garlic and finely dice them. Trim the carrots, celery, potatoes and zucchini and cut them into small cubes. Cut the green beans into pieces two to three centimeters long.
2. Heat half of the olive oil in a large pot. Sweat the onion, carrots and celery over medium heat for about five minutes.
3. Add the garlic, potatoes and zucchini and cook for two more minutes. Add the tomatoes, broth and bay leaf, bring to a boil and simmer the soup gently for about 15 minutes.
4. Add the green beans and white beans and simmer for another ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the pasta to the soup and cook until al dente according to the package directions, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf.
6. For the pesto, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden brown and let them cool. Blend the basil leaves, pine nuts, grated Parmesan, the garlic clove, the remaining olive oil and a pinch of salt in a blender or with an immersion blender into a coarse paste.
7. Ladle the minestrone into bowls, top each with a spoonful of pesto and serve immediately.