Chickpea, Vegetable, and Pesto Soup
Paul Sirisalee
Forget the noodles—this tomato-based vegetable soup is filled with protein-rich chickpeas instead.
How to Make It
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until slightly darkened, 1 minute.
Step 2
Add the vegetable broth, green beans, chickpeas, and frozen peas. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Top with the pesto.
Chef's Notes
CougarGrrrl
2013-02-19T06:19:22-05:00
Based on the bland reviews, I added a small can of tomatoes, 5 cloves of garlic, a healthy pinch of Italian herbs, 2 bay leaves, and made it in the crockpot. I also used homemade turkey stock. It was excellent. I made it on Valentine's Day and cut the carrots into heart shapes. My 8yo and 1yo loved it! I served it with Italian 5 grain bread spread with Boursin garlic & herb cheese. Excellent combination :)
LAnnSmith
2013-02-11T18:43:19-05:00
I agree with Evilin, this soup is very bland. I doubled the pesto and added it directly to the soup pot, along with more dried basil. It needed a lot more salt, but didn't want that much so added about 4 good shakes of Cholula Sauce to the pot (Tabasco or Sriracha might also work.) Then when serving we gave a squeeze of lemon. It was still mild, but you could taste the veggies and broth.
Evilin
2013-02-11T08:44:26-05:00
I made this last week. Instead of adding the pesto when serving, I added the 1/4 cup of pesto before. It was still very bland.
