Chicken-Pesto Minestrone

Wow, this is so good!  Of course my recipe is a bit different because I used mostly what I had on hand.  I did buy asparagus which was $1.67 per pound and a couple of Roma tomatoes.  I would not hesitate to use a drained can of petite diced tomatoes next time because the tomatoes are there pretty much for the color.  Tomatoes that have traveled from Mexico do not have much flavor anyway.

You can find the original here:  http://bevcooks.com/2012/02/chicken-pesto-minestrone/

My version:

1/4 cup basil pesto (I used Classico)
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
1 cup uncooked small shell pasta
6-8 cups chicken stock
1 shredded rotisserie chicken
1 bunch of asparagus
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook spinach according to package directions then pour into a food processor.  Add basil pesto and puree.  I added a bit of chicken stock to help the food processor along but never got a total puree.

Bring chicken broth to a gentle boil, add pasta and boil for a minutes.  Trim end of asparagus and cut into 1-inch pieces.  Add shredded chicken, spinach puree, tomatoes and asparagus to pot.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes or until pasta and asparagus are tender.

Taste for seasoning adjustment.  Serve garnished with shredded Parmesan cheese.  (Thanks Heather for finding this!)

Fun to serve on St. Patrick's Day if you are not into CB&C.

(Does anyone know how to add an accent mark in this program?  Or a degree mark?)