Summer Vegetable Soup With Basil Pesto

Name: Summer Vegetable Soup With Basil Pesto
Prep time: 35
Cook time: 60

5 out of 5 stars (based on 9 reviews)

35 min prep

60 min total

6 servings

Carrot Icon for Number of Ingredients Size

17 ingredients

This super easy soup (no pun intended) is one of the most delicious ways to get your summer on and your veggies in, especially if you are on a neutropenic diet. When it’s really hot...

1 medium onion, finely diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into a ½ “dice
6 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed, and cut into a ½” dice
1½ pounds ripe tomatoes, diced, about 2 cups (see Ann’s Tips)
½ pound of small yellow summer squash, cut into a ½” dice
½ pound small zucchini, cut into a ½” dice
1 Parmesan rind (optional)
1 bouquet garni (see Ann’s Tips)
1 dried cayenne pepper pod, or a pinch of cayenne (optional)
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt, divided, or to taste
1 (15 ounce) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup small whole wheat macaroni elbows
½ pound lima beans, frozen
½ lb green beans, cut into 1” lengths
4 tablespoons Pesto

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Nutrition Facts

Calories

342 cals

Fat

6 g

Saturated Fat

2 g

Polyunsaturated Fat

1 g

Monounsaturated Fat

1 g

Carbohydrates

59 g

Sugar

10 g

Fiber

12 g

Protein

16 g

Sodium

858 mg

Directions

Place the onions, carrots, garlic, potatoes, summer squash, zucchini, and diced tomatoes into a large pot. Set aside the macaroni, the cannellini beans, the frozen lima beans, and green beans until needed.
To the pot add the parmesan rind, if using, the bouquet garni, the cayenne pod, half the salt and 2 quarts of water, or enough to cover the vegetables by 1-inch. Bring to a boil over a medium high flame. Cover. Reduce the flame to medium low and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to an hour or until the vegetables are tender. The liquid should be barely bubbling.
While the soup is cooking, prepare the Basil Pesto. Set aside.
Remove the bouquet garni. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the cannellini beans. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the macaroni. Cook the pasta until it is almost ‘al dente’, usually 10-12 minutes but check the package for timing. 5 minutes before the end of the pasta cooking time, and add the frozen lima beans and the green beans to the soup. By the time the pasta is ready, they will be too. Mash some of the cannellini beans against the pan to thicken the broth and taste for salt - it will probably need more. Let the soup sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to develop.
Stir in the Basil Pesto. Serve immediately sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

Chef Tips

On a neutropenic diet, if you’ve made the pesto from scratch, let the soup cook for 2-3 minutes after you’ve stirred in the pesto. Jarred pesto can be stirred in as per recipe.

In the winter, or when I’m tired, I find it’s best to use a 14 oz can of diced Italian plum tomatoes instead of fresh, but at the height of the summer, when tomatoes are at their best, go for delicious, ripe, beefsteak or Roma tomatoes.

A bouquet garni is basically a bundle of herbs that is added to soups and stews to add flavor. They are particularly useful in vegetarian cooking. If you don’t have all the herbs, it’s not the end of the world. I often use just fresh parsley, bay leaf and dried rosemary. If you use cheesecloth for a wrapper, you could also add ½ teaspoon of whole black peppercorns.
To make a bouquet garni:
Lay 3 to 4 stems of flat leaf parsley together on a cutting board. On the leafy end, lay a bay leaf, a sprig of fresh thyme, a couple of sage leaves and a small sprig of fresh rosemary.
Roll the leaves together so that they end up wrapped in the parsley stems. Wrap in cheesecloth or tie with kitchen twine to secure the bundle. That’s it.

Registered Dietitian Approved

Our recipes, articles, and videos are reviewed by our oncology-trained dietitians to ensure that each is backed with scientific evidence and follows the guidelines set by the Oncology Nutrition for Clinical Practice, 2nd Ed., published by the Oncology Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, a professional interest group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and the American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Cancer Society