What I love about White Bean Minestrone Soup with Pesto
This White Bean Minestrone Soup with Pesto is absolutely delicious! It’s hearty, healthy, and packed with vibrant vegetables like carrots, celery, squash, and kale. Unlike the traditional version that uses a mix of red kidney and white beans, this recipe keeps things simple with just white beans — and it works beautifully. It’s also completely gluten-free and grain-free since there’s no pasta or rice involved, but trust me, you won’t miss them one bit!
This soup is the ultimate one-pot comfort meal, perfect for cozying up on a cold or rainy day — much like it is here on the island today. The flavour combination is what really makes it shine: the tomato-and-broth base paired with a swirl of fresh basil pesto adds an incredible depth and brightness that keeps you going back for another spoonful.
Another reason I love this recipe is its generous yield — it makes enough for plenty of leftovers, which means easy lunches or quick dinners later in the week. It keeps well for up to a week when stored covered in the fridge. Or, you can freeze it for up to a month for another easy meal down the road.
To serve, pair it with a slice of fresh gluten-free bread or top it with a handful of homemade croutons for extra texture. And while it’s optional, finishing it off with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan is highly recommended — because, honestly it’s delicious!
Recipe Notes
A few things to keep in mind:
- Mirepoix – What’s a mirepoix? It’s a mix of chopped onion, carrot and celery that is sautéed. Many soups and stews use these 3 vegetables for it’s base. I used white onion for this recipe, but yellow onion or shallots would work as well.
- Garlic – I recommend using fresh garlic because I think it makes a difference in flavour, but marinated garlic would work as well.
- Butternut Squash – I really love the addition of butternut squash to this soup. Not only does it have that really beautiful colour, but the texture and flavour adds something special to the soup. Acorn or delicate squash would also work.
- Cannellini Beans – This is a white bean minestrone, so I chose to use white cannellini beans. Regular kidney beans would work as well.
- Kale – The kale adds nutrients as well as dimension to the soup. I love the look of the curly green kale. Black kale or even spinach would work as well.
FAQ:
Any leftovers will keep well for up to 1 week when stored covered in the fridge and up to 1 month in the freezer.
Yes, although you’d have to omit the basil pesto which is a key ingredient! Also, you’d have to skip the parmigiana on top.
Yes! Spinach would be a great substitute for kale. Collard greens would work as well!
Yep. Acorn, delicata or kabocha squashes would all work as well.
If you find the soup too watery, you can pull out a few of the beans and mash them to add texture. This would make it a little more chunky.
You can add a little heavy cream to make the soup creamy. Slowly pour it in while stirring until you have your desired creaminess. To make it vegan, full-fat coconut milk would do the trick.
White Bean Minestrone Soup with Pesto
Equipment
- 1 Large, Heavy-bottomed Pot
Ingredients
- avocado oil for cooking
- 1 white onion diced
- 3 ribs celery washed and chopped
- 1 cup peeled and diced butternut squash heaping
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel seed (can also grind fennel seeds with mortar and pestle)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 (796ml) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (14oz) can white cannellini beans
- 3 cups green kale leaves packed
- 2 tablespoons basil pesto
- fresh grated parmigiana cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, drizzle in the avocado oil and add the onions, celery, carrots, butternut squash and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the salt, pepper, oregano, fennel and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat the vegetables and cook for a further minute.
- Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil. Turn down to low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and add the kale and basil pesto. Stir until the kale has wilted and the pesto is combined throughout.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, top with fresh parmesan cheese and enjoy!
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