Chickpea Soup with Pesto

This fresh soup was actually inspired by lots of ingredients I had lying around. Luke and I (ok, really just Luke) built more garden boxes, and we've started our planting. Our fall greens have been producing like CRAZY, but at this point the plants are pretty mature and the leaves aren't really good for salads anymore. So, I decided soup was in order. Since I had a big batch of chickpeas that I'd cooked up and then frozen for an occasion just like this, dinner was a snap!

Chickpea Soup with Pesto

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups cubed butternut squash
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 carrot, chopped (optional)
6-8 cups broth of choice (depending on how soupy you want your soup. I used veggie broth)
3 cups chickpeas (or 2 cans)
1 huge bunch leafy greens (I used a mix of collards, kale and swiss chard that filled my colander when I rinsed them)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pesto

Heat a large soup pot on medium heat and warm olive oil. Add butternut squash and saute 3-4 minutes. Toss in onions, garlic and carrot and saute additional 5 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in chick peas and cook 3 minutes. Add hearty greens (such as collards) that require more cooking than lighter greens (like chard and spinach) and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in lighter greens and cook 3 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon into bowls and add a tablespoon of pesto to each bowl. Enjoy!