Green Minestrone with Fresh Pesto

With autumn already here and winter quickly approaching, it’s really nice to have a warm comforting bowl of soup to get you through those cold winter days.  What is so special about this soup is the addition of the fresh pesto which lifts the soup up to a brand new level of deliciousness! Its also very quick and cheap to make too. You can vary it by adding whatever green vegetables you have lurking around in the fridge.

Difficulty: easy                              Serves: 4

1     onion peeled and finely diced                                                                                                                                                                                         4     sticks celery finely chopped

  1     large carrot peeled and finely chopped

1     courgette diced

1     handful french beans

  3     cloves garlic peeled and chopped

1     cup of frozen peas

  1  ltr of chicken or vegetable stock

For the pesto: Blitz together a handful of basil, with 1 clove of garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the 40g grated parmesan, season and reserve.

To make the soup; sweat the carrot, onion and celery in a pan with a little olive oil for 5 minutes then add the courgette and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Pour over the stock and bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the peas and beans and cook for another 5 minutes. remove from the heat season. Pour into bowls add a spoonful of the pesto and serve with crusty bread.