An authentic Italian vegetarian minestrone soup made without tomatoes and using Pesto instead, cabbage and potatoes, for a hearty, traditional green minestrone di Verdure.
Heat up a soup pot on medium flame with a lug of olive oil.
Add the onion, celery and carrot and saute together with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme and peppercorns and toss to coat.
Stir in the cabbage and cook another 5 to 10 minutes until wilted.
Add the diced potatoes, Parmesan rind and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Cook together until the potatoes are cooked through, another 10 minutes.
Stir in the cooked beans and adjust seasonings to taste with more sea salt.While the minestrone is cooking make the pesto.
Pesto
Add the basil, olive oil, garlic, nuts and half of the lemon juice to a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste with sea salt and more lemon juice.
Ladle the minestrone into bowls and serve with spoonfuls of the pesto on top.
Notes
For the Vegan option simply omit the Parmesan rind from the broth, and the grated cheese from the pesto sauce.