Pesto White Bean Soup
This pesto white bean soup is made with just five ingredients, but it’s packed with flavor! It’s perfect for a satisfying plant-based meal that takes minimal effort to prepare!
I love finding shortcuts to flavorful meals and the trick to this soup is pesto! I’ve made white bean soup with salsa and I was so happy with how it added tons of flavor to the broth. It made me think… why not try it with pesto? It worked beautifully. Creamy white beans simmering in flavorful pesto creates a hearty meal with minimal effort! I also tossed in a little kale at the end of cooking to add some greens to this meal. I liked adding a little crushed red pepper on top for a bit of heat, but it’s optional.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Because this recipe only has a handful of ingredients, it’s really important to use high-quality ingredients. The flavor of the broth and the pesto are critical in this recipe. For the broth, I like to use a โchicken styleโ vegetable broth, like the kind from Edwards & Sons or Oceanโs Halo. Both have a lot more flavor than standard vegetable broth.
I used canned cannellini beans which are soft, creamy white beans, but you can substitute with great northern beans or white navy beans. You can use dried beans, but they will need to be soaked overnight and cooked until soft before adding them to the soup.
I added kale at the end of cooking to add some fresh greens to this recipe. You can leave it out if you don’t have any or add a few handfuls of spinach instead.
My Favorite Store-Bought Pesto
The real trick to this tasty soup is using prepared pesto. Of course, you can make these things from scratch if you like, but I prefer to use store-bought to keep things simple! My favorite store-bought pesto isย Buitoniโs Pesto,ย which has a great flavor that tastes homemade. Americaโs Test Kitchen recommended it and Iโm glad I tried it! Of course, you can make my homemade walnut pesto recipe, if you like.
If you’re looking for a good vegan pesto, I really like Gotham Green’s pesto. Trader Joe’s also makes a great vegan pesto, sold in their refrigerated section. In general, I’ve had better luck with the flavors of refrigerated pesto rather than jarred pesto. If you have leftover pesto, try this pesto rice for a flavorful side dish!
I have never once served this soup and not been asked for the recipe. It gives me a great opportunity to promote your website. Thanks for all the wonderful food we have enjoyed since finding IHeartVegatables!ย
Thank you so much!