Basil & Pinto Bean Cheesy Soup

I thought of making an extra ordinary soup for lunch last weekend, which is not an ordinary soup that my son is having everyday. Oh yeah, my son is having 'soup' as one of his dish everyday! It will be fun to make something extra ordinary for him during weekends to have different taste of every bits of food and at the same time boost his Vitamins intakes by adding more vegetables in it. Isn't it great? Yeah! Need to squeeze my brain's cell a little!

I had each of everything in my fridge and also half packet of Pinto beans. Basil & Pinto beans in cheesy soup is simply fantastic! It was a great idea to make something that taste fresh and cheesy!

Then, I started to make my own Chicken broth using some left over that I had in hand, such as chicken bones, onions, celery, carrot & some green vegetables... make your own natural and concentrated chicken broth is always the best! At the same time, I can clear off my fridge... haha...

This soup is simply nutritious, high in vitamins & protein. Bon appetit!

Ingredients: 1/2 cup Pinto bean, washed & soaked 1 cup Fresh basil leaves, washed & peel coarsely 1/2 cup Carrots, diced 1/2 cup Celery, diced 1/2 cup Potatoes, diced 1/2 cup Yellow onion, diced 3 cloves of Garlic, minced 4 cups Chicken Broth 1/2 tsp Mixed herbs 1/4 cup of Shredded Cheese of your choice (I used Cheddar) Salt to taste Olive oil Methods: 1. Soaked pinto beans overnight. Pre-boiled until beans are cooked. 2. Heat olive oil on a saucepan, sautee carrots, onion, celery & potatoes until fragrant. 3. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Stir constantly. 4. Add in the broth, add pinto beans, boil for 2 mins. 5. Add in basil leaves & mixed herbs. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 mins. 6. Add salt to taste. Stir and mix well. 7. Off fire, add shredded cheese and let it melt in the soup. 8. Serve hot immediately.