This is THE BEST minestrone soup recipe ever. It's made from a super flavorful tomato base, Tuscan kale, white beans, and loaded with vegetables then topped with an easy to make basil pesto. It's an easy to make and healthy weeknight dinner recipe!
Ingredients
Kale Minestrone Soup
1tablespoonolive oil
1mediumonion, minced
3clovesgarlic, minced
2large carrots, minced
5.5ouncecan tomato paste
4cupsvegetable broth
3mediumred potatoes, diced
2stalkscelery, diced
1zucchini, diced
1teaspooneach: oregano, thyme, black pepper
28ouncecan whole tomatoes
15ouncecan white beans, drained and rinsed
8ounceskale, removed from stem and chopped
Juice from ½ lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Easy Basil Pesto
2ouncesbasil, about 1 cup, loosely packed
2ouncesparsley, about 1 cup loosely packed
¼cuppine nuts, cashews or almonds work great too
2tablespoonsolive oil
Juice from ½ lemon
2tablespoonsparmesan cheese OR nutritional yeast
Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots and let them cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots and onion start to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook it until it is sweet smelling and starts to darken, about 3 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, 2 large carrots, 5.5 ounce can tomato paste
Add the vegetable broth, potatoes, celery, zucchini, black pepper, oregano, and thyme to the pot. Pour the juice from the tomatoes into the pot then use your hands to crush the whole tomatoes before adding them to the pot. If you're using the parmesan rinds, add them to the pot now. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.
4 cups vegetable broth, 3 medium red potatoes, 2 stalks celery, 1 zucchini, 1 teaspoon each: oregano, thyme, black pepper, 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
While the soup simmers, make the pesto. Add all the pesto ingredients to a small food processor and pulse until mostly smooth.
2 ounces basil, 2 ounces parsley, ¼ cup pine nuts, 2 tablespoons olive oil, Juice from ½ lemon, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese OR nutritional yeast
Add the beans, kale, and lemon juice to the soup and let the kale wilt and the beans warm through. Season to taste with sea salt. Serve the minestrone topped with the pesto.
15 ounce can white beans, 8 ounces kale, Juice from ½ lemon, Sea salt
Notes
To make this soup quickly, start by mincing the onion and let that start cooking while you prepare the garlic and carrots. Then chop the remaining veggies while the carrots and onion cook.Chef's tip: if you have some parmesan rinds, throw a few into the pot with the stock for extra flavor.