Minestrone Soup with Carrot Top Pesto
By Zoe Cuthbertson, Undressed
Ingredients
Minestrone Soup
- 1/4 jap pumpkin
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 brown onion
- 2 large zucchini
- 1 small bunch carrots (keep the tops for pesto), or 3 large carrots
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 jar Church Farm Passata
- 1 tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 parmasan rind (optional)
- 1L vegetable stock
- 100g short pasta like fusilli or conchiglie
- 2 large handfuls spinach
- 1 bunch basil
- EVOO
- Salt and pepper
Carrot Top Pesto
- 1 small bunch carrot tops, about 2 cups
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup EVOO
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan or nutritional yeast
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180 °C.
- Roughly chop pumpkin into cubes, spread on baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until softened.
- Peel and finely chop garlic and onion.
- Trim and roughly chop zucchini and carrots.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic, onion, zucchini and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 15-20 minutes.
- Add chilli, oregano, tomato paste, passata, cannellini beans, and parmesan rind. Tip in the roast pumpkin. Give everything a good stir and pour over stock. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes with the lid on. Stir occasionally, squashing pumpkin with the back of a spoon to thicken the broth.
- To make the pesto, add carrot tops, garlic, pine nuts and lemon juice to a food processor and blitz to a chunky paste. Slowly drizzle in olive oil to reach your desired pesto consistency. Stir in parmesan and season with salt and pepper.
- I like the soup nice and thick but if it’s too thick for your liking at this stage, add some water.
- Add pasta to minestrone and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente.
- Turn off the heat, add baby spinach and basil leaves and stir to wilt.
To serve, ladle steaming hot minestrone into generous bowls. Top with pesto and plenty of freshly cracked pepper.
