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Barley Minestrone With Pesto

Top this soup with a dollop of our homemade pesto, which you can make in a mini food processor or blender. In a hurry? Store-bought pesto makes an excellent stand-in—although it’s not as light as our version.
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Ingredients

6 Main-Dish Servings

    minestrone

    • 1 cup pearl barley
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage about ¼ small head
    • 2 large carrots peeled, each cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
    • 2 large stalks celery cut into ½-inch dice
    • 1 onion cut into ½-inch dice
    • 1 garlic clove finely chopped
    • 3 cups water
    • 2 cans 14½ ounces each vegetable broth
    • 1 can 14½ ounces diced tomatoes
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1 medium zucchini 8 ounces, cut into ½-inch dice
    • 4 ounces green beans trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces (1 cup)

    light pesto

    • 1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons water
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup freshly grated pecorino-romano cheese
    • 1 garlic clove finely chopped

    Instructions

    • Heat 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot.
    • Add barley and cook until toasted and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
    • Transfer barley to small bowl; set aside.
    • Add oil to same Dutch oven.
    • When hot, add cabbage, carrots, celery, and onion; cook until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
    • Stir in barley, water, broth, tomatoes with their juice, and salt.
    • Cover and heat to boiling over high heat.
    • Turn heat to low and simmer 25 minutes.
    • Stir zucchini and beans into pot; increase heat to medium, cover, and cook until vegetables are barely tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer.
    • Meanwhile, prepare pesto: In blender container with narrow base or in mini food processor, combine basil, oil, water, and salt; cover and blend until mixture is pureed.
    • Transfer pesto to small bowl; stir in Romano and garlic.
    • Makes about ½ cup pesto.
    • Ladle minestrone into large soup bowls.
    • Top each serving with a dollop of Light Pesto.
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    Course Soup
    Cuisine Italian