chicken and cabbage soup with pesto

Lunch

Chicken & Cabbage Soup with Pesto

This one-pot chicken and cabbage soup is topped with flavor-boosting store-bought pesto. Big, fiber-rich butter beans add a creamy bite, but you can easily swap them out for cannellini beans or navy beans if you prefer. This soup works well with leftover chicken—simply shred or chop cooked chicken and add it to the soup to reheat once the cabbage is tender.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced carrot
4 cups chopped green cabbage
1 cup sliced leek
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
6 cups unsalted chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added butter beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
6 tablespoons pesto

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrot; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add cabbage and leek; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, beans and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium and stir in chicken. Simmer, covered, until the cabbage is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar. Ladle into 6 bowls; top each with 1 tablespoon pesto.