Name: Green minestrone with pesto
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 1 teaspoon finely chopped sage; 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely; 1 medium leek (350g), white part only, chopped finely (see tip); 1 medium parsnip (250g), cut into 1cm dice; 2 trimmed celery stalks (200g), sliced thinly; 150 g curly kale, stems discarded, torn in pieces; 1.5 litres (6 cups) vegetable stock; 150 g green beans, trimmed, cut into 1cm lengths; 2 medium zucchini (240g), halved, sliced thinly; 400 g can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed; Pesto; 2 cups basil leaves; ⅓ cup (25g) grated parmesan; ¼ cup (40g) pine nuts, toasted; ½ clove garlic, peeled; ½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil

Green minestrone with pesto

Fresh, filling and packed with spring flavours this green minestrone makes a delicious lunch or light dinner.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon finely chopped sage

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 medium leek (350g), white part only, chopped finely (see tip)

1 medium parsnip (250g), cut into 1cm dice

2 trimmed celery stalks (200g), sliced thinly

150 g curly kale, stems discarded, torn in pieces

1.5 litres (6 cups) vegetable stock

150 g green beans, trimmed, cut into 1cm lengths

2 medium zucchini (240g), halved, sliced thinly

400 g can cannellini beans, drained, rinsed

Pesto

2 cups basil leaves

⅓ cup (25g) grated parmesan

¼ cup (40g) pine nuts, toasted

½ clove garlic, peeled

½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil

Method

1.Heat oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat.Cook sage, garlic and leek, stirring, for 3 minutes or until leek is soft. Add parsnip, celery and kale; cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes or until kale is bright green. Add stock; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low; cook for 15 minutes or until parsnip is almost tender.

2.Add green beans, zucchini and cannellini beans; cook for a further 5 minutes or until zucchini is just tender. Season.

3.Meanwhile, make pesto.

4.Serve soup topped with pesto.

Pesto

5.Blend or process ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; season to taste.

Cut the leek in half lengthways and rinse carefully between the layers; they can be quite gritty. Soup can be made a day ahead. Pesto can be made 3 days ahead. Store in separate airtight containers in the fridge; cover pesto with a thin layer of oil. Soup and pesto can be frozen in separate airtight containers for up to 3 months. Serve minestrone with crusty bread, basil leaves and extra grated parmesan, if you like.
Note

Women's Weekly Food

Trusted by home cooks for 90 years, The Australian Women’s Weekly’s Test Kitchen and cookbooks hold a singular place in shaping home cooking within the Australian culinary landscape. Today, the AWW Test Kitchen in Sydney is a thriving hub for food content, connected to two bustling photographic studios where a talented team of Australia’s best recipe developers, art directors, editors and photographers create our world class food content. Our recipes are thoroughly tested and tasted and given the Test Kitchen tick of approval, guaranteeing you’ll get great results in your home kitchen.

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Ingredients

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Pesto

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