Tuscan Summer Minestrone with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.
I am really hopping it is not blazing hot around your neck of the woods today.
Because I made us an awesome – and SIMPLE summer soup that is perfect for a light Sunday night meal.
I have been craving soup because of our dreary, cold fall like weather, but this soup is actually so summery. It’s light and full of all the summer produce that is basically everywhere right now.
Today is also an exciting day because I get to tell you about how I have partnered up with my all time favorite Italian brand, DeLallo Foods.
I do not do a lot of sponsored posts because to be honest, they are just not my thing. I like to keep this site, well… all me and what I love, nothing else. When I got this opportunity with DeLallo Foods I actually tried to turn it down. But then I decided that if this site is about me and what I love, then why wouldn’t I want to share that with my readers? So in the end, my love of DeLallo’s pastas, olives and sauces got the better of me. I am hoping that you guys agree.
DeLallo is a brand that I can back whole heartedly, as I love their products. I also love knowing that what I am eating is REAL food, with many of their products being 100% organic. Their pastas are incredible, especially their whole wheat pastas. Honestly, I typically do not enjoy whole wheat pasta, but when I tried DeLallo’s, I was surprised to find that they did not taste like cardboard! Their whole wheat pastas actually have flavor and texture, and they are spot on. Spot on guys.
So yeah, I love their stuff and am beyond excited to share it with you guys today.
If you are interested check out their whole wheat pastas here.
Alright, so on to the soup!!
This one is like a big old giant bowl of delicious summer health.
It’s perfect to make on a Sunday and then eat the leftovers throughout the week. You can eat it cold, but I prefer it warm with some freshly grated parmesan and a side of crusty bread.
Perfect summertime meal…well, for me anyway. It’s 45 degrees and raining. That’s soup weather in my book, whether it is technically summer or not.
*This post is sponsored by DeLallo Foods. All opinions are of course my own.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Tuscan Summer Minestrone with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: minestrone, pesto, sun dried, tomatoes
An awesome - and SIMPLE summer soup that is perfect for a light Sunday night meal.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 2 zucchini's and or yellow summer squashes chopped (I used one of each)
- 1 ear corn kernels remove, but cobs reserved
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 6-8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 small bunch tuscan kale chopped, or curly kale
- 1-2 cups DeLallo Orecchiette Pasta if need used a gluten free variety
- 1 leave parmesan rind plus grated parmesan for serving ( this out for vegan version)
- 2 cups cannellini beans drained and rinsed if using canned
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil sliced
- 1/2 cup homemade or store-bought sun-dried tomato pesto
Instructions
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Heat the oil in the bottom of a large soup pot. Once hot add the onion, carrots, celery and red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring every so often for about 10 minutes or until the onion is fragrant and the veggies are slightly soft. Add in the zucchini (and or summer squash), corn and garlic. Cook, stirring every so often for another 10 minutes or until the zucchini is softened slightly.
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Add the chicken or veggie broth, the reserved corn cobs and the parmesan rind, bring the soup to a boil. Add the rosemary and kale, reduce the heat to a simmer for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes bring the soup back to a boil and add the pasta. I added about 2 cups of pasta, but my soup was heavy on the pasta! Boil the pasta until al dente, if needed add more broth to thin the soup. Remove from the heat stir in the cannellini beans, parsley, basil and about 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Remove the parmesan rind.
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Allow the soup to cool slightly and then serve with more grated parmesan. Happy slurping!
Hoping you have hot temps though, because that’s what summer is all about!
I have so been craving soup and just made a roasted tomato soup this week. Today it’s rainy and damp in CT so this soup would work just fine. I have everything but the sundried tomato pesto but I’m sure I can swap reg. pesto. Soup is good in all seasons in my book.
Thank you so much, Lisa!! Regular pesto will be great!
I really like whole wheat pasta. I can’t eat soup when it is hot weather, but I used some fresh tomatoes the other day and made a small pan of veg. beef soup. It has been the mildest weather for summer I can ever remember. Humidity has been bad a good bit but the temps have been much lower. Not as cool as you are having though. Thank goodness. HA!!
Thanks Charlotte!
Now that is one gorgeous summer minestrone! I am in LOVE with all the summer veggies you threw inside, and that pesto sounds amazing! You have no idea how badly want this for dinner tonight with some crusty french bread. Love love the gorgeous colors and perfect lighting in your photos. Pinned!
Wow, thanks so much!! Hope you had a great weekend, Sarah!
This looks perfect Tieghan! Pinned this recipe to make when it gets just a little cooler here, but boy I can’t wait to make it – has all my favorites in it!
Thank you, Kathy! Hope you had a great Sunday!
This is a great looking soup. Love the whole wheat pasta and veggies.
Thanks Dawn!
Great looks soup! Love all the summer produce!
Thank you, Liz!
I always think summer is the best possible time to make a huge vat of minestrone, even if it does heat up the house! You have to love all those peak-season vegetables.
I agree! Thanks Eileen!
We are in the midst of a heat wave right now where I live, this delicious soup makes me look forward to the cooler days of fall to come. Yummy!
Oh lucky you!! I want a heat wave!
Thanks Crystal!
I’ve been sick lately, so this is oerfect! I love the use of orecchiette and that shot of all the veggies is gorgeous!
Thank you and I hope you feel better soon!
It’s a warm day here, but that would never stop me from devouring at least 3 bowls of this delicious looking soup!
Thanks Stephanie! Hope you had a fun weekend!
Minestrone is the best, I love that pesto topper!
Thanks Laura!
I knew I wasn’t the only one who loved summer soups! This looks delicious — I love how fresh everything is in this. And a pesto dollop in there? YES.
Thanks so much, Renee!
I have this cooking now. With the cool August temperatures and an abundance of summer produce this soup looks perfect. I’m looking forward to having a bowl of this tonight!
I hope you love it!! Thanks for making it and if you can let me know what you think! 🙂
This recipe looks amazing! We will be trying it soon. We’ve been having a very mild August here as well.
Hope you love it and thank you!
Definitely on my to-make list this week. Have you tried freezing this? Just wondering if you would add the kale and pasta pre or post freeze. Thanks!
Hi! I would add the kale, but not the pasta as the pasta gets soggy if left in the noodles long.
Hope you love this!
{great|wonderful|interesting|nice post.
One of the most characteristic towns that I visited in Tuscany is San Gimignano, nearFirenze. I stayed there during my last holiday in Tuscany, in a farmhouse really beautiful. There was a restaurant and a swimming pool overlooking sille towers. It’s called Farm Raccianello and both me and my family really enjoyed it.
Do you just top the soup with the pesto? Also the amount of garlic is not mentioned in the ingredient list.
Hi! You need 2 cloves of garlic and yes, the pesto is just used for topping the soup. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
loved this.
Thank you Amanda! xTieghan