Chickpea Minestrone, Genovese Style
I like to think of this recipe as more of a guide than a hard-and-fast rule. This minestrone is meant to be a pantry soup: throw in whatever you have on hand or whatever vegetables you like most. Maybe substitute rice for the macaroni or add a handful of mushrooms or other hearty greens. What makes this soup special is my ultimate pantry staple: a Genovese-style pesto. In the final moments, stir in the pesto and a squeeze of lemon, and what was once a basic pantry soup becomes a flavorful and healthy meal you can eat all week long.
Ingrediënten
Serves 6 to 8
- 12 cups Chickpea Stock this page, Chicken Stock (this page), or water
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch spinach coarsely chopped
- 1 bunch Swiss chard thick stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 bunch Tuscan kale thick stems discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
- 2 small zucchini cut into ¼-inch slices
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes cut into ½-inch slices
- 2 small Japanese eggplants or 1 globe eggplant peeled, quartered, and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 baseball-size turnip peeled, quartered, and cut into ¼-inch slices
- ¾ cup macaroni
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 tablespoons Seven-Ingredient Pesto
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon wedge
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
Instructies
- In a large pot on high heat, bring the stock and olive oil to a boil.
- Add the spinach, chard, kale, zucchini, potatoes, eggplant, and turnip and turn the heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer.
- Cook, uncovered, for 1 hour.
- Add the macaroni and simmer for 20 minutes.
- (The macaroni is overcooked on purpose, as the starch it releases gives the soup a nice texture.)
- Add the chickpeas and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the pesto.
- Season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon to taste.
- Ladle the minestrone into bowls.
- Serve with a bowl of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side.
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