Pesto Rice Soup Recipes

If you’re looking for a soup that tastes just as good the next day, this one-pot pesto rice and bean soup will be your new meal-prep staple. Pesto adds a flavorful boost to a classic soup combo (beans + rice) that really makes it something special. This is the soup that our leftovers love: it’s hearty, comforting, and versatile based on your tastes. Also, it can be as flexible as you like. Keep reading below for all our tips on how to make it the way you like it:

How to make Pesto Rice and Bean Soup:

– Rice. In choosing your grain type, I recommend going with a small-grain brown, preferably the “glutinous” variety. These glutinous grains have a mildly sweet flavor and the rice holds its shape during long cooking, resulting in a satisfying al dente bounce once tender. You can use white rice, farro, barley or even hominy: this is a very flexible blueprint for a hearty soup pot.

– Beans. Depending on personal taste, you can also use whatever canned beans you like—or, if you’re really feeling in the mood to cook up a storm, you can make your own beans ahead of time.

– Pesto. You can go with store-bought pesto or make your own: we’ve got recipes for classically green basil pesto or rich, red sun-dried tomato pesto. To make your soup more visually vibrant, save half the pesto for stirring in at the very end.

– Broth. Although we use chicken broth here to add a layer of flavor without actually adding meat, you can substitute it with vegetable broth or water.

– Craving meat? Start by browning half a pound of diced Italian sausage in your pot until the edges are crisp before adding your onions and carrots.

Serving Ideas:

To serve, top your bowl with more cheese, toasted nuts and fresh, aromatic herbs for an extra colorful and flavorful first bite. If you want to make this dish heartier, serve some homemade sourdough bread or French bread on the side.

If you’ve made this recipe, be sure to drop us a note in the comments section below to let us know how you’ve tweaked it to make it yours!

Yield	Preparation Time	Total Time
4 Serving(s)	15 minutes	1 hour 10 minutes

Materials

• 2 tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 c. Dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. Again ground pepper
• 1 tsp. Dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. Red chili flakes (optional)
• 1/2 c. Small grain brown rice, rinsed
• 4 c. Low-sodium chicken broth or water, divided
• 2 (15.5-oz.) cans beans of your choice (such as butter beans and pink beans), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 c. Pesto

freshly grated parmesan, toasted pine nuts, to serve, to serve (optional) fresh herbs, to serve

directions

Step 1

Heat oil in an enormous pot over medium intensity. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add rice and mix until toasted, around 2 minutes.

Step 2

Add 2 cups stock and bring to a stew, blending once in a while. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes.

Step 3

Return to medium heat and add beans and remaining broth. Stir to combine and continue cooking until slightly thickened and the rice is completely tender, 12 to 15 minutes longer. Eliminate from intensity and mix in pesto.

Step 4

Decorate with Parmesan, pine nuts and spices prior to serving.