Easy Minestrone With Lemony Ricotta and Pesto

Cosy and comforting and ready in 30 minutes

“To feel safe and warm on a cold wet night, all you really need is soup.”
― Laurie Colwin

When the weather is this cold what could be more comforting than a steaming bowl of soup? And this will become a favourite of yours. Or rather, it is a favourite of mine and I hope very much it will become a favourite of yours.

I love soup. And really soups of all kinds. But I think a soup like this is one of the very best kinds. It has texture and interest to it, so it feel’s hearty and satisfying. One of the things I like about it is that this a great recipe for using up whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. And really anything goes. Well not anything, but you know what I mean. Here I’ve used red onion, carrots, sweet potato, courgettes and lots of Cavolo Nero.

I love minestrone with pasta but I actually like using less pasta than most recipes do because I love balancing it out with some cannellini beans. This is just as delicious I promise, if not more so, but also a bit more satisfying with the protein from the beans. I did it the first time by accident, which is so often the way to a great discovery. I didn’t have quite enough pasta so I used what I had and added some beans and really the result was so good, I’ve never looked back.

When I make this I tend to make a big batch of this so I can have it for supper then and there, and then knowing I have it in the fridge for lunches throughout the week is a most comforting thing. It only takes 30 minutes to throw together but I think with anything like this it just makes sense to make more than you need and then have some for a later date. Cook once, eat twice, or perhaps even more! It also freezes very well. I’m going to say this recipe serves 2 because I want you to have leftovers. If you don’t want any leftovers then simply half the recipe.

If you’ve read this newsletter for any length of time you will know that a dish for me is only half finished if it isn’t garnished. And here the addition of lemony ricotta and a dollop of pesto take this very good soup to the next level. A generous grating of parmesan or pecorino and some lemon zest and oh my goodness it’s so good!

If you aren’t in the habit of adding parmesan rinds to your soups and sauces, this is a very good trick to adopt. It adds so much flavour and umami and just makes everything taste so good. I keep a stash of rinds in the freezer so I can just throw them into whatever I’m cooking and I could not recommend doing this more.

This soup is so simple and quick but packed full of flavour and comfort. Promise me you’ll make this.

Serves 2 with plenty of leftovers

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