Minestone Soup
This soup is a bowl of comfort on cold winter days. I saved a lot of slow roasted tomatoes and pop them in the freezer in the summer months which is ideal for the minestrone.
Did you know it’s really good to save your parmesan crust ( the bit that is too hard to grate) and pop it into your minestrone for extra depth of flavour!
Ingredients
If you are vegetarian just omit the bacon.
1 tbsp olive oil
150g bacon , finely chopped
1 onion , chopped
2 garlic cloves , minced
1 stick celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 potato, chopped
100g green beans, chopped
800g/ 28oz crushed tomato
2 cups chicken stock/broth
2 cups water
3 tbsp tomato paste
400g/ 14oz canned kidney beans , drained
1 tsp salt
Cracked pepper to taste
1 cup small pasta ,tiny shells, risoni, orzo, baby macaroni,
1 Parmesan skin ( optional)
To serve
1 handful of baby spinach or chopped kale
1/4 cup parmesan , grated parsley
Method
Heat oil over high heat in a very large pot.
Add bacon, cook for 2 minutes and add garlic and onion.
Cook until onion is translucent and bacon is light golden ~ 2minutes.
Add the carrot, celery and zucchini. Stir for 1 minute to coat in flavour.
Add crushed tomato, chicken stock, water, tomato paste, kidney beans, Parmesan skin if you have it, and salt and pepper.
Stir and bring to simmer, then place lid on and adjust heat so it’s simmering gently.
Simmer 20 minutes, then add the potato and beans.
Simmer for 5 minutes, then add pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes.
Remove from stove, stir through parmesan and baby spinach. Check the seasoning .
Serve, garnished with extra parmesan, a sprinkle of parsley, toasted sourdough with lashings of butter .