Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto

I have a ton of vegetables, so I was wanting to make a soup for dinner tonight.  I finally found this recipe that sounded good, and made a few changes to add more veggies to it.  It turned out great! I even used canned chicken, so it was pretty easy. 

Have I mentioned that I LOVE soup weather??

Chicken & Spinach Soup with Fresh Pesto
Adapted from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/chicken_spinach_pesto_soup.html

5 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each
Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 sweet potato, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can stewed tomatoes or 1 tomato, diced
• 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces), cut into quarters (or 1 can)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried marjoram (I didn't have any...I used rosemary and basil)
• 6 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans or great northern beans, rinsed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup plain or herbed multigrain croutons for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato, onion and chicken; cook, turning the chicken and stirring frequently, until the chicken begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Stir in broth and marjoram; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken pieces to a clean cutting board to cool. Add spinach, tomatoes and beans to the pot and bring to a gentle boil. Cook for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.
3. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, Parmesan and basil in a food processor (or use prepared pesto) . Process until a coarse paste forms, adding a little water and scraping down the sides as necessary.
4. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken and pesto into the pot. Season with pepper. Heat until hot. Garnish with croutons, if desired.