Italian Vegetable Soup with Beans, Spinach (& Pesto)

I learned a very important lesson today - you CAN have too much of a good thing, especially when that thing is garlic. Who knew? The sad news is that I think this soup probably would have been great had I not over-garliced it. But I did. And it's pretty bad. It kind of burns - but not in a spicy way.

You might notice that garlic is not on the list of original ingredients. But I have a great fear of bland soup - so I added a lot of garlic and basil. Oh, and I skipped the pesto because a little tiny container of it was $4.50 at the co-op (where I stopped after work). I topped it with Kraft parmesan instead - high class all the way. I also skipped the bell peppers, celery, and potatoes - and substituted green beans for peas.

So try this one and let me know how it is without the overpowering taste of garlic. I'm off to find some parsley.

Submitted by: USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson Rated: 5 out of 5 by 11 members

Yields: 10 servings

"Cannellini beans and a plethora of vegetables - bell peppers, carrots, celery, potatoes, peas, and spinach - make this healthy soup hearty and satisfying."

INGREDIENTS:

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)

DIRECTIONS:

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.