Italian Vegetable Soup With Beans, Spinach & Pesto

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, cut into small dice
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 3 medium celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 medium bell pepper (red or yellow), stemmed, seeded and cut into medium dice
• 1 pound all-purpose potatoes, unpeeled and cut into medium dice
• 1 (16 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 2 (15.5 ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, undrained
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth in can or carton
• 7 ounces loosely packed baby spinach
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• salt and ground black pepper
• prepared pesto (found in grocer's refrigerated section)

Recipe

• heat oil in a soup kettle over medium-high flame. add onions, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. add carrots, celery, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, bean and chicken broth; bring to a boil. reduce heat to low and simmer until vegetables are just tender, about 15 minutes. add spinach and peas; continue to simmer until spinach wilts, 3 to 4 minutes longer. season to taste with salt and pepper. ladle into bowls, adding a spoonful of pesto to each serving of soup.
• for lunch, pack soup in separate leakproof containers. warm soup in microwave and top with pesto.