Vegan green minestrone is a twist on the classic, with spring vegetables like asparagus, peas, and plenty of pesto. With creamy white beans, it's a meal in a bowl, but light enough that it makes sense to be eating a soup even in warm weather.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 20 minutesminutes
Servings 4people
Ingredients
1medium oniondiced
3clovesgarlic
400gramsasparagusa handful, cut about 5 cm in length
2small zucchinis/courgettes or about 1 1/2 cup chopped
1 ½cupslarge white beansor a 400 ml can, rinsed well*
6cupsvegetable stock**
3cupsspinach
1cuppeas
¼teaspoonhot pepper flakesor to taste
Salt and black pepper to taste
Juice of a lemon
No Cheese Pesto
40gramsbasilone bunch
2tablespoonsolive oil
1clovegarlic
Juice of a lemon
½teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonpepper
Instructions
Heat a large pot over medium heat with a tablespoon of oil. Once the pot is hot, add the onions and sauté for a minute or two, until the onions soften and begin to brown slightly. Add the garlic, zucchini, asparagus, and beans. Cook for just a few moments, until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the vegetable stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for about five minutes, or until the asparagus is just starting to get tender. It will cook a little bit more, so don't leave it too long. Stir in the spinach, peas, and lemon juice. Turn off the heat and let the spinach wilt and the peas heat through. Taste the soup once more and add any more salt and pepper as needed.
No Cheese Pesto
Add everything to a food processor or grind it in a mortar and pestle. Mix until very smooth. Top each bowl of soup with a spoonful of pesto and serve hot.
Notes
* You can use small white beans if you prefer, or even cooked french lentils for an extra green soup. ** Again, use the absolute best tasting vegetable stock you can find for this recipe, or better yet, make it yourself!