Chicken Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto

This fragrant, Italian-flavored soup takes advantage of quick-cooking ingredients—boneless, skinless chicken breast, bagged baby spinach and canned beans. It features a simple homemade basil pesto, which is swirled in at the end to add a fresh herb flavor. If you are very pressed for time, you can substitute 3 to 4 tablespoons of a store-bought basil pesto.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • ½ cup carrot or diced red bell pepper
  • 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), cut into quarters
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried marjoram
  • 6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • ⅓ cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • ¾ cup plain or herbed multigrain croutons for garnish (optional)

Directions

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