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–+ servings
Kate Ramos

Simple Summer Vegetable Soup with Cilantro Pesto Croutons

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 10 -12 servings
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

For the Soup:
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 leeks halved, washed well, and sliced
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 2 carrots sliced
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 3 small yellow potatoes peeled and cubed (about 1 cup cubed)
  • 1 cup dried large white beans rinsed (I used lima beans)
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup chopped green beans
  • 1 small zucchini chopped
For the Croutons:
  • 1 small bunch cilantro thick stems removed (about 2 packed cups of leaves and tender stems)
  • 1 packed cup baby spinach leaves
  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 baguette

Method
 

To make the soup:
  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add leeks and onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes.
  2. Add carrots and celery and season again with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes more then add garlic and cook another minute.
  3. Add tomatoes, potatoes, beans, water, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until beans are tender, about 1-1 1/2 hours.
  4. Add green beans and zucchini and continue cooking until tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed. I added about 1 teaspoon more.
For the Croutons:
  1. Heat oven to 425°F.
  2. Combine cilantro, spinach, garlic, salt, and pumpkin seeds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add oil and blend until smooth.
  3. Slice baguette into 1/2-inch thick slices. Spread about 1/2-1 teaspoon of pesto on one side of each slice then place pesto-side-up on a baking sheet. Bake until outer edges are crisp about 10 minutes.
  4. Spoon any remaining pesto into the soup pot and stir to combine. Ladel soup into bowls and top with one or two croutons.

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