Warming Minestrone Soup

Minestrone ticks a lot of boxes for me - this one is smokey, soothing and packs just enough of a carb hit to get me through the afternoon. If you choose wholewheat spaghetti this will help keep you fuller for longer. 

The recipe can also be adapted for the slow cooker (add the pasta 30 mins from the end) so you can throw it in and forget about it for 6-8 hours. 

Minestrone soup

Serves 6-8 people. Prep: 10 mins. Cook: 40 mins.

Ingredients: 

2 rashers of streaky bacon

1 onion

2 sticks of celery

2 carrots

1 potato

1 400g tin of cannellini beans (or baked beans, rinsed)

1 tbsp rapeseed/vegetable/sunflower oil

1 tsp dried oregano

2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes

1 litre vegetable stock

100g spaghetti

Method: 

Snip the bacon into 1cm pieces, then pop into a large frying pan on a medium heat until it starts to crisp. Set aside on some kitchen paper, keeping the oil in the pan.

Finely chop the onion, celery, carrots and potato (I used a food processor here) but keep separate.

Gently fry the onion in the oil for three minutes, then add the celery and carrots for a further two minutes. 

Transfer the ingredients to a large saucepan, then add the tomatoes, beans, stock and oregano. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.

Snap the spaghetti into smaller pieces, add to the pan and cook for a further ten minutes. 

Spoon into bowls and serve with crusty bread, a little sprinkle of parmesan if you like. 

Top tip:

This recipe is easily adapted for the slow cooker - simply cook on high for 5-6 hours, adding the spaghetti for the last 20 minutes. 

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