Pesto Bean Soup

This has to be one of the best soups i have made, and Tomas agrees with me. It has a nice kick to it and lots of flavor. One of the things that he likes most is that it has no meat in it. I originally found this recipe in the Foodnetwork magazine, but I made quite a few changes. First off I doubled the recipe, besides when it came to the beans which I only added 3 cans, 2 cans of cannellini beans and one can of red kidney beans. Next I omitted the olives and celery, because I don't like either of those ingredients. When it came to the red pepper flakes I just about dumped a lot in since we love the spice. Now if you don't like the changes I made then you can always follow the original from Food Network if you like. Well anyways, I hope you love the soup as much as we did.

Pesto Bean Soup

Saute 1 head of sliced garlic cloves and 1 or more tablespoons of red pepper flakes in a pot with olive oil. Add 2 cans drained cannellini beans and 1 can drained red kidney beans and add 2 cups water; simmer until thick, 8 minutes. Stir in 6 tablespoons pesto ( I bought pre-made pesto at the grocery store) and 4 tablespoons grated parmesan.

Add 6 cups chicken broth. Cook 15 minutes. Stir in 1 diced roasted red bell peppers. Serve and enjoy.

To roast a bell pepper:

Using a pastry brush, brush vegetable oil over the bell pepper, making sure it is fully covered. Place the pepper on a baking sheet and place on the top rack in the oven and broil them. Using tongs, turn the pepper over as it blackens. Once blacked a little on each side, place in a container and cover for 15 minutes. Take the pepper out and pull the stem out. Dice up and set aside until ready to place in the soup.

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