This is another recipe that Giada made with her Pea Pesto Crostini. This soup was soo good!! It has a nice, refreshing taste with all the fresh lemon juice but still warms the soul from this cold weather. It’s fast and easy…perfect for a weeknight meal. I did make quite a few substitutions based on what I had available. I used Parmesan cheese instead of Romano but you can never go wrong with Parmesan in my opinion. I also replaced white beans for the chicken to make sure I was getting some protein. I used dried parsley instead of fresh – darn grocery store was out of parsley. Who is out of fresh parsley??!? I also added in some celery just to sneak in some more vegetables. Next time I will use smaller pasta or break up the spaghetti even more. Brent and I both thought the spaghetti was hard to eat with a spoon. The beans and spaghetti didn’t photograph very well in my bowl….they are in there though. :)
Brent’s bowl with some very large pieces of chicken on top:
I am definitely going to be making this soup again. And when you dip the pea pesto crostini in the soup the lemon infuses with all the other flavors…..DELICIOUS!!!
Lemon White Bean Soup with Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 4 cups water
- 2 “not-chick-n” bouillon cubes
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan rind, optional
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 2 celery stalks, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 cup spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces (or orzo, quinoa, elbow, etc)
- 1 cup white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley ( I used 1 tbsp dried parsley – it was all I had on hand)
- Kosher salt
In a large stockpot, bring the vegetable broth, lemon juice, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind (if using) to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the carrots and simmer until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the broken pasta and celery and cook until the pasta is tender, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the beans and heat through. Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in parsley. Season with salt to taste. Ladle soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
