Canyon Ranch White Bean Soup with Pesto
Both the bean soup and the pesto in this recipe can be served separately. The soup is good served cold with chopped leftover vegetables added to it and the pesto is a wonderful sauce for pasta. This simple faux pesto sauce has fewer ingredients than the recipe for Pesto Sauce in Canyon Ranch cookbooks, which also contains Miso and pine nuts. It can be served for vegan-vegetarian menus at Canyon Ranch because it does not contain cheese.
Servings: 8
Calories: 125kcal
The soup is good served cold with chopped leftover vegetables added to it and the pesto is a wonderful sauce for pasta. Serve the pesto as a topping, or, stir it in just before serving, as you prefer.
Ingredients
Soup
- ¾ cup dried white beans (soaked overnight in water and drained)
- 2 ½ teaspoons canola oil
- 3 tablespoons chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 small leek (white part only, chopped)
- 7 cups vegetable stock
- 2 medium potatoes (peeled and diced, about 2 cups)
- 1 medium carrot (finely chopped)
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon sodium-reduced gluten-free soy sauce
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pesto
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon shallot (chopped)
- 1 ½ tablespoons water
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the beans and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot dice and leek and cook over medium heat until the carrots are slightly tender and onion is translucent, about 3 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add the drained beans and vegetable stock to the pan and cook until the beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Add the potatoes, thyme, soy sauce, and pepper and continue to cook for 30 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine the pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and set aside.
- Spoon 3/4 cup of the soup into a blender and puree. Pour the puree back into the pan with the remaining soup. Either add pesto to the soup base, or, serve as a topping, as you prefer.
- Ladle 1/2 cup of soup into each of 8 bowls and garnish each serving with 2 teaspoons pesto, unless you've blended it into the soup base..
Instant Pot Notes
- We made this recipe in our instant pot in a fraction of the time!
- Add all soup ingredients, including UNSOAKED, dry beans, to an 8 quart instant pot.
- Select manual high pressure for 60 minutes
- Natural release until ready to open lid
- Make pesto separately while the pot releases pressure
- Proceed to serve and garnish
Spa Index Kitchen Notes
Pesto Added as a Topping Tried this recipe?Mention or tag @SpaIndex so we can share!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Bowl | Calories: 125 kcal (6%) | Carbohydrates: 21 g (7%) | Protein: 5 g (10%) | Fat: 3 g (5%)
One of my favorite CR recipes for soup. Make it often.
Commenting on my favorite spa recipes! This one is easy and good!
Simple and tasty, make this often