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.

Chicken and Cabbage Soup with Pesto

Serves 6

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

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

1. 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.

2. 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 six bowls; top each with 1 tablespoon pesto.

Recipe nutrition per serving: 333 Calories, Total Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 69 mg, Carbohydrates: 20 g, Fiber: 6 g, Total Sugars: 6 g, Protein: 32 g, Sodium: 569 mg, Potassium: 764 mg, Phosphorus: 317 mg, Iron: 3 mg, Folate: 78 mcg, Calcium: 114 mg, Vitamin A: 5516 IU, Vitamin C: 23 mg, Vitamin D: 4 IU.

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(EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.)

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