Parmesan Broth Minestrone with Pistou

Parmesan Broth Minestrone with Pistou

A hearty, parmesan broth minestrone filledwith pasta, beans, seasonal vegetables, and topped with a generous amount ofpistou (or pesto). Serve with thick slices of warm focaccia, if possible.

Print Pin

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: asparagus, broth, chickpeas, parmesan, pasta, zucchini

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings: serves

Author: Eff | Food Daydreaming

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white part only, halved and thinly sliced
1 zucchini, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
400 g canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups vegetable stock
A piece of parmesan rind, around 5cm in length, or a 30g chunk of parmesan
1 cup small dried pasta
1 bunch asparagus, sliced into rounds, tips left whole
2 cups baby spinach
50 g extra parmesan, finely grated
1/2 lemon, zest and juice

For the Pistou

3 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ teaspoon sea salt
10 basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

To Serve

Focaccia, optional

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until the leek begins to soften. Add the zucchini and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Add the chickpeas, the stock and the parmesan rind (or the parmesan chunk if a rind isn’t available) and bring to a boil.
In a separate pot, bring water to a rapid boil and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the packet directions say (see notes). Drain and refresh in cold, running water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, to make the pistou, crush the garlic cloves and sea salt into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Add the torn basil leaves and pound everything together until mostly smooth. Stir in the olive oil to make it saucier and set aside until the soup is ready.
Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and stir in the asparagus, baby spinach and extra grated parmesan. Simmer for 3 minutes or until the baby spinach starts to wilt.
Remove from the heat, add in the cooked pasta, lemon zest and juice, and stir. Taste and season with a little salt, if needed.
Ladle the minestrone into bowls, top each with a teaspoon of pistou, extra parmesan and serve with chunks of focaccia (optional).

Cook along with me

Notes

If you’re not going to make the pistou topping, add two cloves of minced garlic to the leeks when you add the zucchini and tomatoes.

Cook the pasta separately and to before al dente, usually a minute or two before the time listed on the packet as it will continue to cook in the residual heat of the broth.

See the ingredient list above for suggestions on customising the soup.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @food_daydreaming or tag #fooddaydreaming on instagram. I love seeing what you all come up with!

Nutrition