Soup is On

Green Minestrone
(serves 4)

I love cooking a big pot of soup. I served this green soup for dinner this week and had enough soup left over for several warm lunches. I heated it up in the morning and put in a thermos to take with me. I served it with simple oregano and paprika seasoned baked chicken.

This recipe is adapted from one of my favorite cookbook authors, Donna Hay. She is Australian so her blog posts are always off season for me, but I love her recipes and dig around for new ones to try. I recently bought Life in Balance: A fresher approach to eating and am cooking my way through it.

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic minced

1 onion diced

2 leeks cut in rounds (I use the white part and most of the greens)

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth or stock (add more water or stock if needed)

1 fennel bulb diced, bulb and fronds

2 cups of frozen peas

1 cup peeled fava beans (I omitted these)

4 cups baby spinach

Salt and pepper to taste

Store bought pesto (I used arugula and walnut pesto)

Directions

Heat the oil in a stockpot. Add garlic, onion, and leek. Cook until softened, 5-7 minutes.

Add stock and bring to a boil.

Add fennel, celery, peas, fava beans and cook until vegetables are tender.

Add spinach, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Serve with a dollop of pesto in each bowl.