Minestrone Genoa

Here's a light version of minestrone from Moosewood Restaurant's Low-Fat Favorites. We had this with pita bread.

The variations on minestrone are almost infinite. The hills around Genoa are covered with fragrant herbs, and minestrone there is usually spiked with pesto, a trick we have adopted for this quick-cooking rendition. You could add to or replace some of the vegetables listed here - zucchini, turnips, and spinach or other greens are all fine additions or substitutions.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Simmering time: 20-25 minutes

6 cups basic vegetable stock
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup cut green beans, in 2-inch pieces (about 6 ounces)
3 cups cooked cannellini or white kidney beans (two 15-oz cans, rinsed and drained)
1 cup prepared pesto
Salt and ground pepper to taste

In a soup pot, bring the stock to a boil. Add the onions, celery, and carrots, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes, cabbage, and green beans and simmer for 10-12 minutes more, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the cannellini and pesto and heat thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Variation: Add 2 or 3 bay leaves to the simmering vegetables and remove them before serving the soup.

Note: If you have leftover minestrone, consider serving it the Italian way, called riballita, "reboiled". Soak thick slices of stale bread in the soup until the bread nearly dissolves. The soup should be almost thick enough to hold up a spoon. Gently reheat it on the stove or bake it in a baking dish, sprinkled with a little grated cheese.