Spur-of-the-Moment Soup: Summer Minestrone

If you learn to make Spur-of-the-Moment Soup, you will never go hungry.

Here's a delicious lunch or dinner made from staple cupboard ingredients.

My Mom's favorite food is soup and it's an art she has mastered. Craving a light and satisfying meal, I read another recipe and it went something like this:

"Ooh, that sounds good!... I have that, I have that..... I don't have that but I do have this.... don't have that either but this would be just as good!"

Sound familiar? If it does you already have the ability to create spur-of-the-moment soup.

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My recipe inspiration was called Summer Minestrone. Minestrone typically has beans and as you can see there are none in my soup. I was out of fresh vegetables and didn't want to waste a whole can of beans. Orzo would be great for this soup but I had none in my pantry. Instead I used acini di pepe and a little whole wheat couscous. No shopping trip for soup, use what you've got!

*Don't skip the pesto- it would be a completely different soup without it, and it adds so much flavor (and extras on the side for bread dipping!) I have fresh pesto in my freezer; I had basil that was going to go bad so I froze it in tablespoon-sized portions.
To make pesto from scratch add basil, toasted walnuts, a tiny bit of garlic, parmesan and some olive oil to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Summer Minestrone

1 large tomato, chopped
1 garlic clove, cut in half
extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup soup pasta, such as orzo or acini di pepe or couscous
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 frozen cor
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons Basil pesto (see note above)

Add a turn of olive oil to a saucier pan over medium heat. Add the tomato and garlic clove and saute until the tomato breaks down, 5-7 minutes. Add the pasta and toast for a minute or so. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the frozen peas and corn and continue to simmer until the pasta is al dente, 3-4 more minutes. Season to taste with pepper, and salt if necessary.

Ladle into bowls and add a spoonful of basil pesto. Serve with grilled bread and extra pesto.

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