Minestrone With Pesto

INGREDIENTS:

1 large onion, diced
1 cup peeled and coarsely chopped garlic
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 small turnip, diced
1/2 cup white wine or no-salt-added vegetable broth
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried sage
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
10 cups no-salt-added vegetable stock
4 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato paste (see note)
1/4 cup no-salt seasoning blend adjusted to taste
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans or 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added garbanzo beans, drained
1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans or 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, drained
1 small head Napa cabbage, shredded
8 ounces peeled pearl onions
1 pound frozen kale, collards, mustard greens or a mix
1/2 pound fresh green beans, topped and tailed and cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces
1 zucchini, diced
2-3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
FOR THE PESTO:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
4-6 cloves garlic or to taste
unsweetened soy, hemp or almond milk, as needed
2 tablespoons lemon juice or to taste
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
freshly ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS:
Steam/saute the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, parsnips and turnips in the white wine in a large covered pot over medium-high heat until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes, then add the spices and saute for another minute. Then add the stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, MatoZest and garbanzos and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Next, add the kidney beans, Napa cabbage, pearl onions, greens, green beans and zucchini. Continue to simmer for 15 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, remove form the heat and let sit 20 minutes before eating.

To make the pesto, process the basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor with an S-blade until a fairly smooth, thick paste forms. With the machine running, pour in the non-dairy milk until you achieve a smooth sauce. Add the lemon juice, nutritional yeast and black pepper, to taste and process until a very smooth consistency is achieved.

Serve soup topped with a spoonful of pesto.

Note: Choose tomato products packaged in glass or cartons. These materials do not contain BPA.

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