Chicken Vegetable Soup with Pesto
This classic, comforting dish packs powerful nutrition into one deliciously healthy soup. Swirl in a dollop of our perfect pesto and let it melt into your bowl for a tangy boost of flavor.
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans), soaked overnight (TIP: Substitute with 1½ cups BPA-free canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed.)
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves only
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 5 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 1 redskin potato, scrubbed and cut into ¼-inch cubes
- 1 plum tomato, chopped
- 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
- 1 tbsp unsalted tomato paste
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1/2 zucchini, trimmed and diced
Preparation
- To a medium saucepan, add cannellini beans, 4 cups water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain; discard bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, prepare pesto: In a blender or with a mortar and pestle, pulse or pound basil, garlic, cheese and lemon juice. Drizzle in 4 tsp oil and process until smooth; add 1 to 2 tsp water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat remaining 1 tsp oil on medium-high. Add onion and carrot and sauté, stirring often, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add potato, tomato, green beans, tomato paste, broth, salt, pepper and thyme. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potato is just tender, about 6 minutes. Add cannellini beans, chicken and zucchini and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Divide soup among serving bowls and swirl in pesto.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 2 cups soup and 1 tbsp pesto
- Calories 203
- Carbohydrate Content 22 g
- Cholesterol Content 30 mg
- Fat Content 5 g
- Fiber Content 4 g
- Protein Content 22 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 492 mg
- Sugar Content 5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 1 g