White Bean Pesto Food

KALE PESTO AND WHITE BEAN DIP

Steps:

• Put the pine nuts in to a small skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the nuts are toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the nuts for garnish and place the rest in a food processor. Add the kale, basil and garlic to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and salt and blend until well combined. Add the cannellini beans and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Transfer the dip to a small serving bowl and garnish with the basil sprig and toasted pine nuts. Serve with baguette and vegetables.

WHITE BEAN PESTO

Steps:

• Remove the basil leaves from the thick stalks. Add basil to the food processor.
• Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic powder to the basil in the food processor. Process on high about 1 minute to break up the basil well.
• Add the spinach to the food processor and process on high about 1 minute to incorporate the spinach with the basil.
• Rinse and drain the can of white beans. Add the drained white beans to the food processor and process on high 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
• Test the texture and consistency of the white bean pesto. It will continue to thicken as it sits. If you want a thinner sauce, add water 1-2 tbsp. at a time and process again until you have the right consistency.

PESTO BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat, 30 seconds. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir the cannellini beans and 1 cup of water into the skillet. Simmer over medium heat until the mixture is just thickened, 8 minutes. Stir in the pesto and Parmesan.
• Add the chicken broth and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery is tender, 15 minutes. Stir in the olives and roasted peppers to combine.

WHITE BEAN AND PARMESAN SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• In a large stock pot heat oil over medium heat and add garlic.
• Saute for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
• Add the onions, carrots, celery and prosciutto and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Stir in tomatoes and broth.
• Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
• Stir in beans and simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat.
• Pour soup into a serving bowl and add the cheese.
• Serve immediately.
• Offer additional cheese and pesto at the table.
• ***Donot add the cheese in the soup pot or it WILL stick to the sides.

PESTO CANNELLINI BEANS

Steps:

• Heat oil and cook onion and garlic until soft.
• Add beans and stir until heated through.
• Stir in pesto & parsley to serve.

PASTA AND WHITE BEANS WITH BROCCOLI PESTO

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook broccoli until tender and bright green, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a food processor. Return water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
• To food processor, add oil, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and garlic. Puree until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down side as needed. Transfer pesto to pot with pasta. Stir to coat, adding enough reserved pasta water to make a creamy sauce. Stir in beans and heat over medium until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan, if desired.

WHITE-BEAN SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• To make the soup, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and leek and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and broth. Bring to a simmer. Cook until beans are almost tender, about 1 hour. Stir in potato cubes. Cook until potato and beans are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, to make the pesto, place basil, shallots and garlic in a food processor. Process until chopped. Add olive oil and water. Process until smooth, stopping several times to scrape down sides of work bowl. Season with salt. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with 2 teaspoons of the pesto and serve.

WHITE BEAN PESTO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Saute chopped onions and garlic 2-3 minutes.
• Add chicken broth, beans, and Italian seasoning.
• Partially mash beans and heat soup through.
• Serve, topped with pesto and red pepper flakes.

TOMATO-WHITE BEAN SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots and garlic; cook, stirring, until vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add wine; stir to scrape brown bits off bottom of pot. Add stock, beans, tomatoes, bay leaves and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. In a blender, puree basil, walnuts, black pepper, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water. Transfer pesto to a bowl; wash blender. Remove bay leaves from soup; discard. In blender, carefully puree half of soup; transfer to a bowl; repeat with remaining half of soup. Divide soup among 4 bowls, dollop each with 1/4 pesto, and swirl in; serve.

WHITE BEAN AND PESTO DIP

Steps:

• Process beans in processor until smooth. Stir in pesto. Add lemon juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.) Stir dip before serving.

PESTO PASTA WITH WHITE BEANS AND HALLOUMI

Steps:

• Prepare the pasta: Add the oil to a large, lidded sauté pan, and then place it over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and chile, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the garlic is nicely golden. Stir in the thyme, beans, pasta, stock, 2 teaspoons salt and plenty of pepper, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, with the lid off, for about 5 to 10 minutes. This will help it absorb more of the liquid.
• As the pasta cooks, make the pesto: To a food processor, add the nuts, garlic, arugula (rocket), parsley, half the oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Pulse a few times, scraping down the sides and pulsing again until you have a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the remaining olive oil, adding a touch extra if needed to loosen the pesto.
• When ready to serve, stir the lemon juice and half the pesto into the pasta (discard the chile, if you wish) and transfer to a large serving bowl or platter with a lip. Sprinkle over about half the halloumi, and serve with the extra halloumi and pesto to eat alongside.