WHITE BEAN SOUP w/PESTO

By BobD

Ingredients

• THE SOUP:
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 small leek (white part only), cleaned and finely chopped
• 8 ounces dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in water
• 7 cups vegetable or chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
• 1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• THE PESTO:
• 1 1/2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
• 1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from events.nytimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

To make the soup, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and leek and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and broth. Bring to a simmer. Cook until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour. Stir in potato cubes. Cook until potato and beans are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, to make the pesto, place basil, shallots and garlic in a food processor. Process until chopped. Add olive oil and water. Process until smooth, stopping several times to scrape down sides of work bowl. Season with salt. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with 2 teaspoons of the pesto and serve.