Name: Italian Vegetable Soup with Beans, Spinach & Pesto
Yield: 10
Ingredients: Olive oil - 1 ½ tablespoons; Onion, cut into small dice - 1 large; Carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick - 3 medium; Celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick - 3 medium; Bell pepper (red or yellow), stemmed, seeded and cut into medium dice - 1 medium; All-purpose potatoes, unpeeled and cut into medium dice - 1 pound; Petite diced tomatoes - 1 (16 ounce) can; Cannellini or other white beans, undrained - 2 (15.5 ounce) cans; Low-sodium chicken broth in can or carton - 6 cups; Loosely packed baby spinach - 7 ounces; Frozen green peas - 1 cup; Salt and ground black pepper - 1 cup; Prepared pesto (found in grocer's refrigerated section) - 1 cup

Ingredients for - Italian Vegetable Soup with Beans, Spinach & Pesto

1. Olive oil 1 ½ tablespoons

2. Onion, cut into small dice 1 large

3. Carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick 3 medium

4. Celery stalks, sliced 1/4-inch thick 3 medium

5. Bell pepper (red or yellow), stemmed, seeded and cut into medium dice 1 medium

6. All-purpose potatoes, unpeeled and cut into medium dice 1 pound

7. Petite diced tomatoes 1 (16 ounce) can

8. Cannellini or other white beans, undrained 2 (15.5 ounce) cans

9. Low-sodium chicken broth in can or carton 6 cups

10. Loosely packed baby spinach 7 ounces

11. Frozen green peas 1 cup

12. Salt and ground black pepper 1 cup

13. Prepared pesto (found in grocer's refrigerated section) 1 cup

How to cook deliciously - Italian Vegetable Soup with Beans, Spinach & Pesto

1 . Stage

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.

2 . Stage

For lunch, pack soup in separate leakproof containers. Warm soup in microwave and top with pesto.