Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto
This fragrant, Italian-flavored soup takes advantage of quick-cooking ingredients—boneless, skinless chicken breast, bagged baby spinach and canned beans. It features a simple homemade basil pesto swirled in at the end to add a fresh herb flavor. If you are very pressed for time, you can substitute 3 to 4 tablespoons of a store-bought basil pesto. Recipe by Nancy Baggett for EatingWell.
Servings
about 7 1/2 cups
Prep Time
30 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- 1/2cup carrot or diced red bell pepper
- 1large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), cut into quarters
- 1large clove garlic, minced
- 5cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2teaspoons dried marjoram
- 6ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
- 115-ounce can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed
- 1/4cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3/4cup plain or herbed multigrain croutons for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add carrot (or bell pepper) and chicken; cook, turning the chicken and stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth and marjoram; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a clean cutting board to cool. Add spinach and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
- Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, Parmesan and basil in a food processor (a mini processor works well). Process until a coarse paste forms, adding a little water and scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken and pesto into the pot. Season with pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish with croutons, if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (recipe makes about 7 1/2 cups)
| Calories | 226kcal |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrate Total | 18g |
| Total Sugars | 2g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Fiber | 5g |
| Total Fat | 9g |
| Saturated Fat | 2g |
| Mono Saturated Fat | 5g |
| Cholesterol | 29mg |
| Sodium | 365mg |
| Protein | 19g |
| Potassium | 735mg |
| Calcium | 129mg |
| Folate | 136mcg |
| Iron | 3mg |
| Magnesium | 44mg |
| Omega-6 | 1g |
| Vitamin E | 2mg |
| Zinc | 1mg |
| Phosphorus | 254mg |
| Vitamin B3 | 8mg |
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