Freezer Vegetable Pesto Minestrone

This soup is one of our family’s favourites. I think what makes it different than most is the addition of the pesto. Even I’ve been surprised at how loved it is among even my picky eaters. It is jam packed with nutrients too!

1 tsp. olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 ribs of celery, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
1 cup white wine (or you can use apple juice)
14-19 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
19 oz. can mixed beans
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup basil pesto

For cooking day:

4 cups vegetable broth

Saute onion in oil for a few minutes. Add garlic, celery and carrot and saute for a few more minutes until beginning to get soft. Add this to a large sized resealable freezer bag. Add wine, diced tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, seasonings, cheese, and pesto to the bag. Remove excess air, seal the bag and freeze.

On cooking day, thaw, pour into a stovetop pot or crockpot. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and cook until desired temperature.

If you’d like, you can also add in some cooked gluten free noodles at the end of cook time.

A few things to note, when I make this, I use a jar of pre-made pesto sauce and double, triple or quadruple the recipe so that I can freeze many of these at a time. You will not be sorry that you have extras of these on hand in your stock on a cold day!

This recipe is part of my 10 Days of Gluten Free Freezer Meals series in the iHomeschool Network Autumn Hopscotch. You may also be interested in following my Gluten Free Recipes or Freezer Meals Pinterest Boards.