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News / Life / Food

Pesto adds body, flavor to bean soup

By Linda Gassenheimer, Tribune News Service
Published: December 28, 2022, 6:07am

A simple pesto sauce adds body and flavor to this soup. Prepared reduced-fat pesto sauce shortens the preparation time.

This recipe calls for acini di pepe, which is a very small pasta that is perfect for soups. You can use orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, or any type of small pasta. You can also use any leftover pasta you have. Break it up into equal-size, small pieces.

Make this a vegetarian meal by using low-sodium vegetable broth.

Helpful Hints:

  • You can substitute Great Northern beans for cannellini beans.

Countdown:

  • Prepare ingredients.
  • Make soup.

Shopping List:

To buy: 1 package frozen chopped onion, 1 package frozen peas, 1 container fat-free, no-salt-added chicken broth, 1 box acini di pepe pasta, 1 can low-sodium cannellini beans, 1 small package chopped pecans, 1 small bottle hot pepper sauce, 1 container reduced-fat pesto sauce, 1 can olive oil spray and 1 bunch fresh basil.

Pesto And Bean Soup

Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

Olive oil spray

1 cup frozen chopped onion

2 ½ cups fat-free, no-salt-added chicken broth

1 cup water

1/3 cup acini di pepe pasta

¾-cup rinsed and drained low-sodium canned cannellini beans

2 tablespoons chopped pecans

½ cup frozen peas

Several drops hot pepper sauce

4 tablespoons reduced-fat pesto sauce

½ cup fresh basil, torn into bite-size pieces

Heat a large saucepan over high heat and spray with olive oil spray. Add onion and saute, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, water, pasta and beans. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered 15 minutes. Meanwhile toast the pecans in a toaster oven or under the broiler. Add peas and hot pepper sauce to the saucepan and simmer 5 minutes.

Remove soup from heat and stir in pesto sauce and basil. Serve in 2 soup bowls and sprinkle pecans on top.

Per serving: 474 total calories, 16.6 g total fat, 2.3 g saturated fat, 7.7 g monounsatruated fat, 454 mg sodium, 5 mg cholesterol, 58.8 g total carbohydrate, 10.4 g fiber, 9.6 g sugars, 24.2 g protein, 1,019 mg potassium, 425 mg phosphorous.

Exchanges: 3 ½ starch, 1 nonstarchy vegetable, 2 lean protein, 2 fat.

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