One bowl of this soup provides three of the recommended five daily servings of vegetables! The fact that this recipe is also delicious is just a yummy bonus.
Ingredients
SOUP:
- 1 cup dried navy or white beans
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 2 medium leeks, diced, rinsed well
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, diced
- 8 oz. red bliss or yukon gold potatoes, peeled & cubed
- 1 lb. plum tomatoes, cubed
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 4 oz. green beans, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 small zucchini, cubed
- 1 cup fresh shelled or thawed frozen peas
- coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
PESTO:
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Makes 6 servings.
Recipe
- Cover beans with 6 cups cold water in a large pot. Bring to a boil; remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 1 hour.
- Drain beans, return to pot. Cover with 3 quarts cold water. Add bay leaf and thyme, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, simmer, partially covered until beans are barely tender, about 2 hours.
- Add leeks, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, broth, and 2 cups water. Simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- To make the pesto, finely chop garlic in a food processor. Add basil; process. Add cheese and oil; process until combined.
- Add green beans and zucchini to pot. Cook, uncovered, 20 minutes. Add peas and cook until soft, 5–10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls; top each with 1 heaping teaspoon of pesto.
(Source: Martha Stewart.)