Spring minestrone with pesto is a vibrant vegan and gluten free soup recipe for spring! This spring green minestrone soup is packed with veggies, pasta, and a bright pesto broth. Enjoy with a thick slice of homemade sourdough bread, stir in an extra scoop of pesto, and enjoy!
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set pasta aside.
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the onion, 4 cloves of garlic (save 2 for later), celery and saute on low for 4 or 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
Add the carrots, potatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes until carrots and potatoes are cooked through.
Add the peas and kale to the soup. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.
To a blender, add the walnuts, basil, remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Pour in 2 cups of the soup broth. Blend the walnuts, basil, garlic, and broth together until they become creamy. Add the pesto broth back to the soup pot.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. To serve, add a scoop of the cooked pasta in a bowl and pour the hot soup over the noodles. Do not add the pasta directly to the large soup pot, wait for the soup to cool before adding.
Grab a thick slice of sourdough bread and enjoy!
Notes
Cooking Gluten Free Pasta For Soups
For most of my recipes, I cook the pasta separately from the soup broth. If you add dried pasta directly to a hot soup, you run the risk of having the dried pasta soak up all the broth and overcook the noodles (turning it soup into a mushy mess). I’ve found that cooking the pasta separately, then serving the broth over the noodles in a bowl works best. I allow the soup to cool, then add the cooked pasta after. That way you’ll have perfectly cooked pasta that holds it shape and a delicious brothy soup.