Minestrone Soup

This hearty and nutritious minestrone soup is brilliant at incorporating what you’ve got in your fridge and pantry. It’s super-easy to adapt according to the vegetables you have in the house. For a vegetarian version just leave out the bacon. I love to use red beans in it but recently I tried chickpeas and loved the end result too.

Prep

30 min

Time

30 min to 1h

Serves

8-10 people

Ingredients

2 Tbsp oil of preference
100 gr bacon, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup onion
1l of water or homemade broth
2 cups potatoes, diced
2 cups carrot, diced
2 cups of red or orange kumara, diced
2 cups of pumpkin, diced
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup of red kidney beans or chickpeas
1 can of pasta sauce
salt and pepper
herbs (thyme, celery, basil…)
Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Put a large pot (I use a 4l one) on a medium-high heat and add the oil.
  2. Finely chop the bacon, if using, and add it to the pot, stirring occasionally.
  3. Peel and finely chop a small onion and add it to the pot, sauté it till soft and transparent.
  4. Add 1l of homemade or shop bought broth.  If you don’t have it just add 1l of water and a few cubes of stock you got in cupboards.
  5. Trim and dice the potatoes, carrots, kumara and pumpkin into 1-2cm, adding them to the pot as you go.
  6. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables almost cooked.
  7. Add a can/jar of nice pasta sauce and additional one litre of water.
  8. Add a can of red kidney beans/chickpeas or one cup if you precooked your own.
  9. Season the soup to perfection with some salt and pepper and add your favourite herbs, fresh if possible.
  10. Serve it with some grated Parmesan cheese if desired.Note: you can add other vegetables like green bean, zucchini or even pasta.