A timeless classic, always a crowd pleaser. Easy to make, a one pot wonder!
Minestrone Soup
A timeless classic, always a crowd pleaser. Easy to make, a one pot wonder!
Persons
6
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4.5 oz. bacon, sliced finely or into thin strips
- 1 large onion, chopped finely
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 3 stalks celery, chopped finely
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped finely
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 large tomatoes, chopped into 8ths
- 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.)
- 1 can kidney beans (14 oz.), drained and washed. A more traditional option is cannellini beans, but I just prefer kidney.
- 3.5 oz. macaroni (or you can use spaghetti or other pasta broken into little pieces).
- 32 oz. chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups cabbage, shredded
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Some finely grated parmesan to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a very large pan that has a close fitcang lid. Then add the celery, bacon, onion, carrot and garlic. Fry this off for about 5 to 7 minutes until it has softened a little. No colour is needed on the vegetables, so make sure the heat isn’t too high that they become brown, but high enough the vegetables sweat and soften.
- Add the tomato purée and the thyme leaves, stir through and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the stock, the can of tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, and a little salt and pepper. Stir everything through, set the heat so that your soup is on a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 25 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked al dente.
- Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is ready. Follow the timing instructions on the packet, but this is normally about 7 minutes.
- Add the cabbage and the beans and cook until the cabbage has wilted. This will take about 5 minutes.
- Check for seasoning and add some salt and pepper if needed before serving.
- Sprinkle a little parmesan over each bowl of soup.
Recipe and Photo: Foodista / CC BY
