Winter Minestrone from Ina Garten

I knew I wanted to make a big pot of soup this week to combat the frosty chill in the air, so I pulled down some of my favorite recipes to see where inspiration would strike. As I was flipping through chicken soups, vegetable soups, and various takes on chili, I remembered that my mom just saw an Ina Garten episode on the Food Network where she made a minestrone and stirred pesto in at the end. Knowing my love of pesto (evidence here), Mom told me about it, and I thought this week was the perfect time to give it a try.

Let me tell you, it’s a keeper – heading straight to the top of the favorites box.  This is a minestrone that is chock full of great veggies and not too heavy on what I would see as the fillers – beans and pasta.  The carrots hold a bit of their firmness, while the butternut squash melts away to a sweet creaminess in your mouth. The beans and greens give it a heartiness, but at the same time, the broth keeps it light. And the finish of pesto just brings the soup to life as you stir in basil, garlic, and parmesan.

If you’re looking to try out a new soup as this winter is (hopefully) winding down, I highly recommend this one – Ina Garten’s Winter Minestrone.

A couple of notes: I did substitute chopped kale greens instead of the baby spinach. I prefer the flavor and texture of kale and have always thought of it as a perfect complement to butternut squash.  Also, I used my own homemade chicken stock which has some salt in it, so I didn’t use quite as much salt as the recipe calls for.

(And the picture is from the Food Network website; we gobbled ours up before I thought to get a photo!)