Usually I'd be a little annoyed by rain in June, but since I need a tan and I am still in the mood for soup, I don't mind it so much. The challenge was to find a hearty, warm summer soup in my cook book, but I found something and added some stuff to make it a satisfying meal on a rainy day. The family loved it, and I'm still eating leftovers even thought the sun finally came out.Basically this was a minestrone soup with summer veggies but the addition of pesto mixed in really gave it a unique flavor. Also, since I was going for something a little heartier, I added the green beans and wax beans and also the cannelli beans. I also threw in a little extra pasta.
This was my first shot at making a homemade pesto. The recipe actually calls it "pistou" which, I think, the difference is the absence of pine nuts. It was super easy to make; I put the basil, Parmesan and garlic in the food processor and pulsed a few times. I then added the olive oil in a stream and pulsed until the pistou was smooth. I saved it in a small dish to be served in the soup.The soup was also quick and easy to make. I brought the broth to a boil, added the tomatoes, pasta and onion & cayenne and cooked for 10 minutes. I then added the squash, beans, & green beans and cooked for another 5 minutes. I seasoned with salt and pepper and the soup was good to go!
I served the soup with the pistou on the side and let the family add their own. I added a good couple spoonfuls to mine. The family was a little more reserved, but tried some and really liked it. My only disappointment was that the leftovers soaked up most of the remaining broth in the fridge overnight, so I had to add more broth to eat leftovers the next day.
Looks like the weather is getting more summer-like now, so you will begin to see more cold soups in the upcoming weeks.... stay tuned.
Ingredients
4 medium tomatoes / $2.50 / Farmer's Market
1 pound small yellow and green summer squash / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
1/2 pound green beans & wax beans / $2.00 / Farmer's Market
1 can cannellini beans / $0.89 / Trader Joe's
8 cups vegetable broth / 2 @ $1.99 / 3.98 / Trader Joe's
1 1/2 cup small penne pasta / $0.99 / Trader Joe's
1/2 cup diced red onion / $0.50 / Farmer's Market
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper / from home
Pistou
1/2 cup basil leaves / $1.00 / Farmer's Market
1 teaspoon chopped garlic / from home
3 tablespoons olive oil / from home
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese / from home
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Taste: 5 stars
Prep: easy
Cost: $13.86
