Red Winter Minestrone with Winter Greens Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

This recipe was developed at its original yield. Ingredient amounts are automatically adjusted, but cooking times and steps remain unchanged. Note that not all recipes scale perfectly.

• Winter Greens Pesto:
  • 1 bunch beet greens
  • 1 bunch turnip greens
  • 1 bunch kale
  • cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 ounce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
  • teaspoon kosher salt
• Red Winter Minestrone:
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 white onion, finely chopped
  • 2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, peeled and grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pinch dried chili flakes
  • 1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, cleaned, and cut into -inch slices
  • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
  • pound turnips, peeled and cubed
  • pound beets, peeled and cubed
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups cooked cannellini beans
  • cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 5 cups water
  • cup chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
  • tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste (Optional)

Directions

Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Strip beet greens, turnip greens, and kale from their coarse stems and wash the leaves well. Working in batches, cook each bunch in the boiling water until bright green and slightly limp, about 1 minute. Transfer immediately to ice water and repeat with the remaining greens. Discard cooking water.

Step 2: Remove the greens from the ice water and squeeze out as much water as possible. Combine the greens, 2/3 cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and teaspoon kosher salt in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Transfer pesto to a bowl and cover the surface with plastic wrap.

Step 3: Heat cup olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, grated tomato, 4 cloves minced garlic, rosemary, teaspoon kosher salt, bay leaf, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking and stirring until the vegetables are a deep golden brown, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Step 4: Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the onion mixture. Stir in the leek, carrot, turnips, and beets. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Step 5: Pour the white wine over the vegetable mixture and scrape browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Mix in the cannellini beans and green beans, then pour in 5 cups of water. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the green beans are tender, about 5 minutes more.

Step 6: Stir in the parsley and lemon juice (optional). Divide the soup among heated bowls and serve with a generous dollop of winter greens pesto.

Cooks Notes:

If you prefer, you may use 2 canned plum tomatoes, grated, rather than fresh Roma tomatoes. The first part of cooking the soup involves making a sofrito onions, tomatoes, and garlic slowly cooked into a flavorful paste. If you have extra time, consider making a double or triple batch of sofrito to save for pasta, eggs, or rice. Sofrito freezes well. You can also refrigerate the pesto if you are making it ahead of time.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• Calories: 916
• Total Fat: 61g (79% DV)
• Saturated Fat: 10g (48% DV)
• Cholesterol: 6mg (2% DV)
• Sodium: 808mg (35% DV)
• Total Carbohydrate: 66g (24% DV)
• Dietary Fiber: 16g (58% DV)
• Total Sugars: 11g
• Protein: 20g (41% DV)
• Vitamin C: 213mg (236% DV)
• Calcium: 556mg (43% DV)
• Iron: 9mg (49% DV)
• Potassium: 1997mg (42% DV)

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.