Minestrone Soup with Pesto

This Minestrone Soup with Pesto is literally comfort food perfection. It’s one of the most flavorful Italian soups! Nothing beats a bowl of this on a cold winter’s night…..or anytime you’re craving extra veggies. Did I mention it all starts with bacon? Then you add all the vegetables — carrots, leeks, celery, kale, potatoes and tomatoes.  All the ingredients are simmered in chicken broth on the stove, and, just when you think it can’t get any more delicious, you add cheese tortelloni and a generous dollop of pesto. You’ll be instantly transported to Cinque Terre (on my bucket list to visit!) with every bite! If you’re in the soup mood, you’ll love my tomato cheddar soup, creamy butternut squash apple soup and green lentil soup. 

 

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You may or may not know, depending on how long you’ve been here, that my husband has never met a vegetable he doesn’t love.  And, yes, I’m absolutely serious. My kids, on the other hand, were very choosey when they were growing up.  I was always trying to find a recipe that would make everyone happy….which, let’s be honest, is nearly impossible.  

And that’s when minestrone entered the regular rotation.  It has all the vegetables everyone in my family will eat, plus, this version of minestrone has the addition of pasta and pesto, which is my family’s love language.  It’s a hearty recipe my kids couldn’t wait to inhale when they returned, hangry and exhausted, after a long rainy sports practice (and with both of them playing soccer in the PNW, that was pretty much every practice!).  Back then, I’d be lucky if a pot lasted 2 days….that’s how fast it disappeared! 

Now that we’re empty nesters, this minestrone soup with pesto is one of my go-to recipes to make on a Sunday because it ensures I won’t have to cook again until at least Wednesday.  It’s also a great soup to make when we have friends over because it makes plenty of food, and I can make it the day before, so I can spend time with my friends and in the kitchen cooking.  

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE!

ONE POT — Yep, I put that all in caps because this is a one-pot wonder.  Everything gets cooked in the same pot, so you minimize clean up which is always a good thing!

VEGETABLES – If one of your goals is to eat more veggies (or at least try to!), this recipe is loaded with a massive amount of veggie goodness.  And, speaking of vegetables, this dish is highly adaptable to your favorites.  Feel free to swap out kale for spinach, zucchini for green beans, and fennel for celery….this is such a customizable recipe, so use what you love and whatever seasonal vegetables you have on hand. 

DELICIOUS – the combination of the smokey bacon, fresh vegetables, savory broth, cheesy pasta, and herbaceous pesto results in a ridiculously delicious version of an Italian minestrone soup. 

Ingredients

Hang on, friends….this is a long list of ingredients! 

• Bacon – adds a smokey flavor, and the fat that renders provides a smokey salty flavor to the vegetables when you sauté them.
• Balsamic vinegar – Adds a sweet tang and, as a garnish, brings out the inherent sweetness in the vegetables and balances out the other flavors in the dish.
• Basil – a key base component to pesto, this provides a luscious herbaceous flavor that lightens up the dish. Depending on the time of year, you might not be able to find quality fresh basil which will make it challenging to make fresh pesto. If that’s the case, use a store-bought pesto that has high-quality clean ingredients – make sure it uses olive oil (not canola, safflower or sunflower), some type of nut (almond, cashew, walnut or pine nut), garlic, basil and Parmesan cheese. 
• Carrots – add sweetness and are part of the classic Italian soffritto — when onions, carrots, and celery are sautéed until softened which provides a flavorful base to soups, stews and sauces.  
• Celery – part of the soffritto and adds a base layer of flavor to the recipe
• Cheese tortellini – adds a hearty quality to the dish and, when cooked in the minestrone, the starch acts as a thickener.  
• Chickpeas – add a heartiness to the dish.
• Garlic – is always an excellent flavor builder! 
• Grated Parmesan cheese – adds a salty, nutty flavor which is perfect to finish the dish with.  It also is an important component of pesto.
• Kale – stirring this in at the end wilts it enough so it doesn’t disappear, but results in a toothsome bite.  I love the bitterness this adds, which balances out the sweetness of the tomatoes. 
• Leek – a member of the onion family, this adds a sweeter, lighter onion flavor.
• Extra Virgin Olive oil – allows the vegetables to soften, while adding a fruity, slightly peppery flavor.
• Onion – part of the flavor trilogy of the soffritto, an onion provides a flavorful base to the soup. 
• Pine nuts – You can make pesto with walnuts, almonds and even cashews, but I’m a fan of sticking to the classic pine nut.  Toast them first to add depth of flavor to your pesto. 
• Russet Potato – this is one of those dishes that is definitely carb-heavy — and who doesn’t love that, right? Especially when the odds are you’re making this on a cold winter (or chilly fall) night. Potatoes add a mild, earthy sweetness to the minestrone, helping to balance the acidity of tomatoes and the savoriness of the broth.  Additionally, potatoes release a bit of starch, subtly thickening the broth for a heartier texture.
• Salt – this is the catalyst that brings all the flavors together
• San Marzano tomatoes – add a delicious sweetness to the dish. You can use diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes….either will be delicious!
• Chicken broth – This provides a flavor bath for all the ingredients and will help them absorb all the flavors.
• Zucchini – In the interest of eating more “greens” this fills that requirement. Its delicate flavor helps balance the richness of the beans, pasta, and tomatoes without overpowering the dish.

Ingredient Swaps and Additions

Pasta — you can use any small pasta — orzo, elbows, orecchiette, small shells.  Any of these will be delicious.  If you use fresh pasta instead of dry, you’ll need to reduce your cooking time accordingly.  Fresh pasta cooks much faster, so I would highly recommend adding it last (after the kale has cooked) because it probably will only take 1-3 minutes to cook. 

Kale – any hearty green will work — Swiss chard, spinach (regular or baby spinach).

Zucchini – yellow squash is a great substitute, or, if you want to keep it green, add green beans or green peas. 

Fennel – add chopped fennel at the beginning with the onion, garlic and leek.  It will a gentle licorice flavor (but not in an aggressive black licorice way!) that’s mild and blends well with the other ingredients.

Pancetta – always a great option and substitute for bacon.  For ease, I love buying the pre-diced pancetta from Trader Joe’s. (side note: for this recipe I didn’t have bacon, so I did, in fact, swap it out for pancetta)

Beans – So many options you can use instead of chickpeas — white beans or red kidney beans, navy beans, broad beans, butter beans, cannellini beans.  And if you love beans, you can also combine beans and use chickpeas and kidney beans, navy beans and cannellini beans…you get the idea!

Lemon Juice —  Stir in a fresh squeeze of lemon juice at the end to brighten up the flavor.

Red Chili Flakes — For a little kick of spice, add a sprinkle of red chili flakes while the ingredients are simmering. 

Parmesan Rind – You know how I always recommend you to keep your rinds?  This is the perfect time to pull it out of the cheese drawer and add it to the minestrone while it’s simmering.  It will add a much deeper layer of flavor to the soup.  

Bay Leaves – another way to add more flavor is to add 1-2 bay leaves. They have an earthy flavor that enhances the overall savoriness of the soup without overpowering the other ingredients.

Vegetable broth or Vegetable Stock — if you don’t have chicken broth, this is a great swap and will provide plenty of flavor.  

Let’s Make This Step by Step!

Step 1: In a large Dutch oven or large pot, sauté bacon in olive oil over medium heat until crispy, about 10-12 minutes.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. (it was slightly challenging to take a photo with all the steam coming off the pot….but hopefully you get the idea!)

Step 2: Sauté onion, garlic and leek until softened, about 5-6 minutes.

Step 3: Add carrot, celery, zucchini, and potato and sauté for a minute, or two.  

Step 4: Add the stock, beans, tomatoes and reserved bacon.  Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. This should take about 30-40 minutes.  You want a fork to easily pierce a potato without it completely falling apart.  

Step 5: Add the kale and tortellini and continue to cook until the kale wilts and the tortellini is fully cooked, about 5-7 minutes.  

Step 6: Ladle minestrone into bowls and top with a generous dollop of pesto, sprinkle of grated Parmesan and drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

NOT PICTURED: while your soup is simmering, it’s the perfect time to make the homemade pesto.  You can make it in a food processor — add the basil, pine nuts and garlic and blitz until they start to break down.  While your food processor is on, drizzle in olive oil.  Finish by adding the Parmesan cheese, and taste to adjust seasonings.  

Expert Tips

How to Store and Tips for Leftovers

This minestrone stores really well and will last 4-6 days in your refrigerator.  To avoid the pasta from becoming mushy, remove with a slotted spoon and store in a separate airtight container in your refrigerator.  When reheating the next day, gently warm the minestrone over medium low heat until it starts to simmer.  Add the pasta back in at the end and continue to warm gently.  

As much as I wish I could tell you this minestrone soup with pesto freezes well, sadly, it doesn’t due to all the fresh vegetables.  On the bright side, that just leaves more room in your freezer for ice cream!