Minestrone with Pesto
The best versions of this soup are made with fresh seasonal vegetables. Don’t hesitate to add or substitute cabbage, green beans, eggplant, cauliflower, peas, zucchini, leeks or whatever else looks good at the market or that you might have on hand. After long, slow cooking, the soup should be thick and the vegetables soft. In Italy, minestrone is eaten in different ways: sometimes a dollop of fragrant pesto is added to the hot soup, sometimes the soup is served at room temperature and sometimes rice is used instead of pasta. Simmering the rind from a wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano in the soup imparts a rich, deep flavor.
Estimated Nutrition (whole recipe, rough)
Counts 17 of 22 ingredients — the other 5 aren't in our nutrition table and contribute nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume — 17 portions →
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Pasta | 1 cup cooked (140g) | 220 |
| Pine Nut | 1 oz (28g) | 191 |
| Potato | 1 medium (173g) baked | 161 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Butternut Squash | 1 cup cubed (140g) butternut | 76 |
| Onion | 1 medium (110g) | 44 |
| Plum | 1 medium (66g) | 30 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Tomato | 1 medium (123g) | 22 |
| Mushroom | 1/2 cup sliced (35g) | 15 |
| Clove | 1 tsp ground (2g) | 7 |
| Celery | 1 stalk (40g) | 6 |
| Black Pepper | 1 tsp ground (2.3g) | 6 |
| Garlic | 1 clove (3g) | 4 |
| Basil | 5 leaves fresh (2.5g) | 1 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Porcini | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Swiss Chard | not in our table | 0 |
| Bean | not in our table | 0 |
| Macaroni | not in our table | 0 |
Totals for the whole recipe, adding one typical portion per ingredient — listed above. Quantities in the recipe are not counted, so this is a rough guide only — not suitable for medical or dietary planning.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 3 Tbs. pine nuts
- 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more, to taste
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 lb. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
- 1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed and leaves chopped
- 3 Yukon Gold or other boiling potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded and diced butternut squash
- 4 fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 2 cups seeded and chopped canned plum tomatoes with juices
- 2 cups fresh borlotti or other shelling beans
- 1 small piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind (optional)
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup macaroni,
- or other small pasta shape
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving