Minestrone — Italian vegetable soup — is often thought of as one of those “clean-out-the-fridge” dishes, a recipe for the sake of convenience rather than desire. I don’t see it that way. Yes, of course, it’s great to use up the produce in your fridge. But I enjoy making minestrone with a little more intention, focusing on seasonality and on which vegetables, flavors, or even colors, pair especially well together.

Over the years, I’ve come up with a variety of color-coordinated versions of minestrone—golden, featuring summer squash, yellow tomatoes, and corn; red, with tomato broth, red onion, red peppers, and cranberry beans; and this version—green minestrone, starring zucchini, leeks, spinach, and—for good measure—peas. It is an expression of late summer in a bowl, hearty but not stodgy. I use vegetable broth as the base and a small amount of diced pancetta to add depth to the flavor. For a fully vegetarian version, simply omit the pancetta.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 ounces pancetta, cut into small dice (optional)
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only, thoroughly washed, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly crosswise; about 2 cups
• 2 small to medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut crosswise into thin wedges; to yield about 2 1/2 cups
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of ground fennel seed
• 6 to 7 cups vegetable broth, either homemade or best-quality storebought
• 1 1/2 cups small soup pasta, such as tubettini, ditalini, or small shells
• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 4 ounces fresh mature spinach leaves (weighed after removing stems), thoroughly washed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (the good stuff)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons homemade or storebought basil pesto Best-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1. Place 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot and set over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring now and then, until the pancetta is beginning to turn crisp, 7 to 8 minutes. If you’re not using pancetta, use 4 tablespoons olive oil and proceed to Step 2 before turning on the heat.

2. Stir in the leeks and cook on medium until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low if necessary to prevent them from burning around the edges. Stir in the zucchini and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt, a generous grinding of pepper, and the ground fennel seed. Cook, stirring from time to time, for about 15 minutes or until the zucchini is tender and lightly browned in spots but still holds its shape.

3. Pour in 6 cups of the broth and raise the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil and slowly pour in the pasta, taking care not to let the broth boil over. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook the pasta, stirring once or twice to prevent it from sticking, for 5 minutes, until it begins to soften. Stir in the peas and spinach and cook until the pasta is al dente, or even a bit more tender; cooking time will depend on the shape and brand of the pasta. Note that pasta simmered in broth with other ingredients can take longer to cook than stated in package instructions. Add more broth if needed to thin the soup as the pasta cooks.

4. When the pasta is done, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the Parmigiano cheese. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with a dollop of pesto—about 1/2 tablespoon. Drizzle a little of your best olive oil on top and serve.