Yesterday was one of those cool, gray, drizzly days that make you want to stay in and cook a big pot of soup, so I seized the opportunity and did just that. Being married to an Italian, I have to cater regularly to his taste buds, so what better type of soup to prepare than a Mediterranean one?
Santa Claus brought me an electric pressure cooker a couple of years ago, and since then I’ve become a big proponent of cooking under pressure. Almost every week, I cook dried beans of some kind. For most beans, I don’t soak them prior to cooking, and 30 to 40 minutes is all that’s required to have perfectly done beans. This week I cooked garbanzo beans. Most times we eat them in salads, but this weekend, they seemed like the perfect ingredient for soup.
We were in the Mediterranean region ten years ago this month, and for some reason this weekend I was thinking about this trip and all the fantastic food we enjoyed. As I was pondering all the regional flavors, I did an inventory of the refrigerator for today’s post. My vegetable drawer was brimming with perfect ingredients to compliment garbanzo beans.
Today’s soup is pretty similar to minestrone, minus the pasta. I flavored a chicken stock and tomato base with basil, oregano, and rosemary. I emptied my vegetable drawer and added onion, celery, garlic, red pepper, and green beans to the pot. The finishing touch was a dollop of basil pesto.
This soup is full of healthy ingredients, and served with some fresh, crusty bread, it truly was the perfect antidote to a dreary weekend day.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
10 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans (if using canned, rinse thoroughly)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Basil pesto (for garnish)
Instructions
1. Preheat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Transfer onion, celery, pepper, carrots, garlic to pot and saute for 8 to 10 minutes. Add green beans, tomatoes, chicken stock, garbanzo beans, basil, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.
2. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with a dollop of pesto, and serve immediately
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Followed the recipe and made it today, soooo delicious. Very happy with how it turned out. Left overs of this will end up being a daily lunch. Love it.
OMG!
I made this soup yesterday and went almost by the recipe with a couple of exceptions.
I used two 14 1/2 oz cans of diced tomatoes with garlic and onions and 8 cups of the regular chicken broth and two cups of water with one chicken boullon (that is what I had on hand), I also did not add the extra salt that it called for. Every thing else was the same.
This soup came out so flavorful. I will definitely make it again. My husband and I love garbanzo beans!
Thank you so much for this wonderful and healthy recipe!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Bobbie! I’m so glad you liked the recipe!
I’m back to make this a second time. It was so good, everyone in the family loved it! I did a couple of things differently so I didn’t have to go out and buy ingredients: I used fire roasted tomatoes; vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock and canned green beans instead of fresh. Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much, Bill, and I’ll be back again I’m sure. 🙂
Thanks for your message, Carrie. I appreciate the feedback. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this using mushroom stock instead of chicken (I’m vegan) and adding mushrooms instead of the red pepper (what I had on hand). Great recipe, thank you! I was looking for an alternative to a three-bean soup for this snowy day, this was perfect. Served it with biscuits & a simple salad.
I am making this doup this weekend!!!! Sounds so good!!! I might add some chopped kalamata olived on top of the pesto!!
Thanks so much, Jennifer! Olives sound like a fantastic addition!