Whoa. I just realized that 2 weeks from today, I will be in Italy! Italia!!!
(Oh yeah, and today I also just realized when reading my flight confirmation email that I fly out next Tuesday instead of Wednesday, the date I’d had in my mind for months. Tiny detail. ;))
Still, assuming I catch the correct plane and actually make it across the pond, I cannot wait to be in Europe! I will be spending a few days in Austria, then a week in Germany, and then my sister and I are going to cap off the trip with four days in Florence. She’s an art teacher and is happily planning our artistic itinerary. And me? You’d better believe this food blogger is planning a mega food tour around the region. I have a list of recommended places to visit from friends, which include everything from fresh pasta…to gelato…to pizza…to gelato…to espresso…to gelato…to paninis…to local wine…to gelato…oh, and maybe some more gelato. It’s going to be magnifico.
So to (ahem) get my palate in the Italian spirit before leaving, I have been doing the hard work of making and eating endless batches of fresh homemade pesto. And one of the recipes I have re-fallen in love with is an oldie but goodie from the blog archives that I am renaming this 5-Ingredient Basil Chicken Soup. It’s basically like the Italian version of my favorite 5-Ingredient White Chicken Chili. And oh man, it is a winner.
The old recipe that I had on the blog was just a simple spinach and white bean soup with pesto swirled in. But hey, something about chicken soup is always all the more comforting, right? So I decided to update the recipe with some shredded chicken stirred in, and the result was basically a 5-ingredient Italian version of my favorite Mexican soup.
And oh my goodness, just like the Mexi version, this soup could not be easier to make.
I have to say, though, this soup will rise or fall on the quality of your pesto. If you’re in a hurry, you can buy the store-bought stuff. (And if you do, the brand I genuinely recommend is DeLallo. This is not a sponsored post. It is just the best I’ve tried, times a hundred.) But if you have a few extra minutes, I highly recommend pulling the food processor out and making a batch of my homemade pesto recipe. It’s classic, it is simple to make, and it is unbelievably good when made with fresh basil.
Actually, you can use any sort of pesto for this recipe — kale pesto, arugula pesto, pistachio pesto, etc. But if you want to go classic, basil pesto will never fail. :)
To make the soup, simply stir together your first four ingredients — chicken stock, shredded cooked chicken, spinach and white beans — in a saucepan. Then bring them to a simmer. Stir in your pesto, and cook it for a few extra minutes. And then serve!!
I like mine topped with some extra freshly-grated Parmesan, and served with crusty bread. And I like to go back for seconds on this one, because it is just too good.
So if you’re looking for a quick meal, or a use for some leftover pesto, or even just a new take on comforting chicken soup, I genuinely can’t recommend this recipe enough. So, SO good.
Cheers to great Italian food!
5-Ingredient Pesto Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups good-quality chicken stock
- 3 handfuls (about 3 cups) fresh spinach
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 2 (14 ounce) cans Great Northern or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup pesto
- optional topping: grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Stir together chicken stock, spinach, chicken, beans in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium, stir in the pesto, and let the soup continue to simmer for 2 minutes.
- Serve warm, topped with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Wow. So good!! Very easy. Luv it.
Thanks, Julianna, we’re so glad you enjoyed it!
GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We recently started eating gluten free, and this soup is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks, Julianna — we’re so glad you enjoy it!
Sounds wonderful, will try
Hi. Just wanted to let you know that I tried your recipe and loved it! You can find my review of it on my blog at: https://confessionsaboutlife.com/
Thanks for sharing such a simple, delicious recipe!
Thanks for letting us know, and for giving the recipe a try, Jacklyn! We appreciate you sharing it on your blog, and we’re happy to hear you enjoyed it! :)
I am the worst cook EVER !!! Timing of dinners is NOT what I do best. HOWEVER, this up made me cook like a rock star, and was SO easy, it did not impact the timing of the rest of my dinner. Everyone loved the soup, and is actually as easy as the directions imply!
We’re so glad to hear that, Kim! :)
Made this last night and it was SO GOOD. Holy cow. I can’t believe something so simple is so flavorful!!! Thanks for sharing. I emailed to all my friends.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jami, and we appreciate you sharing the recipe with your friends! :D
How many calories do you think is in this soup?
Hi Judi! We’re sorry but we are unsure of the nutrition facts/amount of calories in this recipe. We currently are not publishing nutrition facts on the site, as the nutrition calculators available are not 100% accurate, and we never want to publish anything that might be misleading. However, a lot of our readers love the My Fitness Pal nutrition calculator, so feel free to try that for an estimate. We hope that helps!
Thank you all so much! This was super delicious and ridiculously easy to make. Made it for myself & my sis after a long day & we both loved it! The pesto adds such wonderful flavors! Thx again for sharing this.
We’re so glad to hear you two enjoyed it Jill! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! :)
Could I do this in the crockpot? Any changes that would require?
Hi Karyn, we think you could (probably on low for 4-6 hrs), though we honestly think the stove-top method is just as easy (since it’s essentially throw everything in one pot and cook)! :) Either way, we hope you enjoy!
Absolutely love this soup! SUPER easy to make and seriously SO good. I’m a big onion lover so I added some white onion to mine for a little extra flavor.
Thanks Katy! We’re glad to hear you’re a fan! :)