Bean soup with vegan pesto
With a pesto topping, this soup has so much goodness to give: almonds high in essential fats, fibre, anti-inflammatory garlic and plenty of vitamins. Not to mention it’s delicious.
Each serving provides 402 kcal, 13g protein, 27g carbohydrates (of which 8g sugars), 24.5g fat (of which 3g saturates), 12.5g fibre and 1.9g salt.
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 25g/1oz fresh basil leaves
- 25g/1oz spinach, watercress and rocket salad
- 25g/1oz skin-on almonds, roughly chopped
- ½ garlic clove, peeled
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp flaked sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the soup
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
- 1 courgette, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 400g tin borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
- 400g tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 900ml/1½ pint vegetable stock, made with 1 vegan stock cube
Method
First make the pesto. Put all the pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until it forms a vibrant green paste with a little crunch. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Set aside.
To make the soup, heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole and gently fry the onion, celery, courgette and carrots for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds more, stirring.
Tip the beans into the pan, add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then adjust the seasoning to taste and ladle into bowls.
Top with spoonfuls of the basil pesto to serve.
