This flavorful soup celebrates spring vegetables like asparagus and is gluten free, dairy free and vegan. It can be served as a side dish or a heartier main dish with some added protein.
In the spring, weather can be unpredictable. I am usually ready for different foods that feel like spring, but I may still want a dish that can feel warming too. This soup is delicious freshly made, but it also holds up well frozen and reheated. Win…Win!
What You’ll Need:
- onion, carrots, celery and garlic
- new potatoes, asparagus and peas
- white beans
- olive oil
- vegetable broth
- lemon juice
- pesto
- nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper
- fresh basil leaves
Making the Recipe:
To make this soup most efficiently, start by doing all of the prep work. Cut up all of the vegetables and mince the garlic.
Next, you are ready to start cooking. Warm a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pot and saute the onions, celery and carrots in the oil for 3-5 minutes until they are tender. Then, add in the minced garlic and stir it together with the veggies until it is just fragrant.
Add the broth and potatoes to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer it for 10 minutes. While the soup simmers, you can squeeze the lemon juice and rinse and drain the beans.
After the 10 minutes, add the asparagus, peas and beans to the pot and simmer it all for another 5 minutes.
Finally, add in the lemon juice, pesto and nutritional yeast. Stir it all together well and add some salt and pepper to taste. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Top the soup with some freshly chopped basil before serving. I also recommend putting a little extra nutritional yeast and pesto on the table that people can add to their bowl, if they like.
If you are not eating dairy free, vegan or vegetarian, you can use parmesan cheese in place of the nutritional yeast.
Spring Minestrone Soup with Pesto
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soups
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This flavorful soup celebrates spring vegetables like asparagus and is gluten free, dairy free and vegan. It can be served as a side dish or a heartier main dish with some added protein.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 small new potatoes, sliced thinly (about ¼ inch slices)
- 16 asparagus spears
- 1 cup peas (thawed if frozen)
- 15 oz. can white beans (cannellini or great northern)
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 3–4 Tbsp. pesto
- 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- sea salt, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 4–6 fresh basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables per the ingredients list.
- Once all of your prep is done, warm a large stock pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the pot and sauté the onion, carrots and celery until just tender. Add the minced garlic to the pot and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the broth and potatoes to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer it for about 10 minutes.
- Drain and rinse the beans.
- Add the asparagus, peas and beans to the pot and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the lemon juice, nutritional yeast and pesto into the soup. Season it with a little salt and pepper and taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Add some chopped basil to the soup just before serving.
Notes
- If you are not eating dairy free, you can use parmesan cheese in place of the nutritional yeast.
- You can add some cooked protein to the soup to make it even heartier. Cooked tofu works great for those eating vegan/vegetarian. Cooked shrimp is also fabulous if your dietary preferences allow it.
- Additional nutritional yeast and pesto can be served at a table for people to add to their soup.