Minestrone soup

Ingredients

Serves 6

  • 1 clove of garlic

  • 1 red onion

  • 2 carrots

  • 2 sticks of celery

  • 1 courgette

  • 1 small leek

  • 1 large potato

  • 1 x 400 g tin of beans. Try kidney beans, cannellini beans or borlotti beans

  • Olive oil

  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1 fresh bay leaf

  • 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes

  • 1 litre vegetable stock (I like Marigold)

  • Parmesan rind (optional)

  • 1 large handful of seasonal greens , such as savoy cabbage, curly kale or chard

  • 100 g small pasta shells or macaroni (try gluten free if you prefer)

  • ½ a bunch of fresh basil or flat leaved parsley , optional

  • Parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Clean, peel and dice the garlic and onion, carrots, celery, courgette and leek, then add the vegetables to a large bowl.

  2. Scrub and dice the potato.

  3. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans. Rinsing makes them easier to digest.

  4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.

  5. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, courgette, leek, oregano and bay and cook slowly for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally.

  6. Add the potato, beans and tomatoes, then pour in the vegetable stock. Stir well, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.

  7. Add the parmesan rind if using.

  8. Cover with a lid and bring everything slowly to the boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the potato is cooked through. Meanwhile...

  9. Remove and discard any tough stalks bits from the greens, then roughly chop.

  10. Check the potato is cooked.

  11. Add the greens and pasta to the pan, and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.

  12. Add a splash more stock or water to loosen, if needed.

  13. Pick over the basil/parsley leaves (if using) and stir through. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, then serve with a grating of Parmesan and a slice of sourdough bread.

Variations:

  • Add a few slithers of red chilli (fresh) to he vegetables if you want to add a little heat.

  • Substitute the parmesan for nutritional yeast if you’re vegan or don’t do dairy.

  • Break up larger pasta (or use up your broken pasta) in place of macaroni.

  • Drizzle olive oil at the end of cooking for extra loveliness.