1. Recipes

How to Make Red Winter Minestrone with Winter Greens Pesto - A Step-by-Step Guide

Winter is the perfect time for enjoying hearty, warming bowls of soup, and this Red Winter Minestrone with Winter Greens Pesto is the ultimate comfort food. Packed full of seasonal vegetables and flavors, this soup is both nutritious and delicious, making it the perfect meal for those chilly winter evenings.

This recipe features a rich and flavorful tomato-based broth, which serves as the perfect base for the combination of vegetables and beans that make up the bulk of this hearty min...

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Ingredients

  • 1 bunch beet greens
  • 1 bunch turnip greens
  • 1 bunch kale
  • ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 white onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, peeled and grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pinch dried chili flakes
  • 1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, cleaned, and cut into 1/2-inch slices
  • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
  • ½ pound turnips, peeled and cubed
  • ½ pound beets, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups cooked cannellini beans
  • ½ cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 5 cups water
  • ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
  • ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste (Optional)

Information

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 45 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
  • Servings: 4
  • Yield: 4 servings

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Strip beet greens, turnip greens, and kale from their coarse stems and wash leaves well. Working in batches, cook each bunch in boiling water until bright green and slightly limp, about 1 minute. Transfer immediately to ice water and repeat with remaining greens. Discard cooking water.
  • Remove greens from ice water and squeeze out as much water as possible.
  • Combine greens, 2/3 cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Transfer pesto to a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap.
  • Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, grated tomato, 4 cloves minced garlic, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, bay leaf, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes; reduce heat to low. Continue cooking and stirring until vegetables are a deep golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Pour remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over onion mixture. Stir in leek, carrot, turnips, and beets. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
  • Pour white wine over vegetable mixture and scrape browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Mix cannellini beans and green beans into vegetable mixture; pour in 5 cups water. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until green beans are tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in parsley and lemon juice.
  • Divide soup among heated bowls and serve with a generous dollop of the winter greens pesto.

    • Nutrition

    916 cal.

    • Total Fat: 61g
    • Saturated Fat: 10g
    • Cholesterol: 6mg
    • Sodium: 808mg
    • Total Carbohydrate: 66g
    • Dietary Fiber: 16g
    • Total Sugars: 11g
    • Protein: 20g
    • Vitamin C: 213mg
    • Calcium: 556mg
    • Iron: 9mg
    • Potassium: 1997mg

    Categories

    Italian recipes
    Soup recipes
    Vegetarian recipes
    Winter recipes
    Healthy recipes