Vegetable soups are something I always enjoyed with my mom growing up. My Dad on the other hand, was much more of a meat and potatoes kind of guy. On the night of the week he wanted a steak, my mom and I took the opportunity to have a very healthy or vegetarian meal like this one. I love to make vegetable soups now because you can add pretty much anything you want from leftovers to fresh or frozen vegetables. And did I mention, they are a great way to lose weight? Hearty vegetarian soups are filling without all the fat and calories of other meals. In this recipe, I used some leftover basil pesto that I had stored away in the freezer and lots of zucchini and tomatoes. If you don’t have frozen pesto, or don’t want to make it fresh, just pick up a small jar of basil pesto in the same aisle of the grocery store where the pasta sauces are.
Be sure to check out these other Roasted Tomato Soup.
Garden Basil Pesto Soup
Ingredients
- 1 – 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 zucchini, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 4 carrots, diced small
- 1/4 cup basil pesto, or a small jar
- 1 large bunch of fresh Kale, chopped
- olive oil
- 2 quarts, or enough to cover all vegetables, vegetable or chicken stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small can tomato paste
Method
1. Preheat a large soup pot. Drizzle with olive oil. Add onions, green peppers, celery and carrots. Saute until translucent. Add zucchini and kale. Saute until kale has wilted. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato paste and stock. Add enough stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.
2. Add basil pesto and simmer for about 5 minutes and serve.
Food , Recipes
