Minestrone Soup

Minestrone soup, is a store cupboard dependable in this house. I had Italian neighbours in a previous house and loved to smell their pot of soup bubbling away for the next day.

This Italian origin soup is made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta. Usually made with ingredients including beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.

Did you know there is actually no set recipe for minestrone? It is usually made out of whatever vegetables you have? We had sprouts leftover so these went into the pot. This version uses vegetable stock so is vegan friendly.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
2 carrots peeled and diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 medium courgette diced
2 cans chopped tomatoes
500ml vegetable broth
1 can beans, rinsed and drained (any beans you like such as cannellini)
2 handfuls of pasta – any type you wish, macaroni works well.
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese-optional for garnish

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a large pot.
Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery.
Cook for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Add in courgette, diced tomatoes and any other vegetables.
Stir in vegetable stock, beans, pasta and herbs.
Simmer until vegetables and pasta are tender.
Season soup with salt and pepper and serve warm.
Garnish with parmesan cheese, if desired.