Recipes

Chicken and Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto

Written on September 22, 2009

In celebration of fall, there is no better tasting food in fall than the return of hearty, soul warming soups. The October 2009 of Eating Well magazines, dishes up some amazing soups in the magazine, this being my favorite!

Ingredients:

2 tsp plus 1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 c chopped carrot or diced red bell pepper

1 lg. boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 oz), cut in to quarters

1 large garlic clove, minced

5 c reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp dried marjoram

6 oz baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 15-oz can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 c lightly packed fresh basil leaves

Fresh ground pepper to taste

3/4 c plain or herbed multigrain croutons for garnish

Instructions:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot (or bell pepper) and chicken; cook, turning the chicken and stirring freqently until the chicken begins to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in borth and marjoram; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, sitrring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

2. Wtih a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a clean cutting board to cool. Add spinach and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes to blend flavors.

3. Combine the remaining 1 TBSP of oil, parmesan and basil in a food processor (a mini processor works well). Process until a coarse paste forms, adding a little water and scraping down the sides as necessary.

4. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken and pesto into the pot. Season with pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish with croutons, if desired.

Enjoy!