Minestrone
Minestrone, or pasta soup as my kids call it, is a great way to use up leftover vegetables in the fridge with other store-cupboard ingredients you probably already have in. By combining vegetables with a protein and starchy carb source you also get a complete meal too. The nice thing is there is no set recipe for minestrone so just use up leftover veggies or get creative with different pasta shapes, etc.
Serves: 4
Prep: 10 Mins
Cooking Time: 55 Mins
Ready In: 1hr 5mins
- ~1tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 White Onion, diced
- 1 Stick Celery, thinly sliced
- 1 Carrot, cut into small cubes
- 1 Red or Orange Pepper, cut into small pieces
- 1 head of Spring Greens, stalk removed, thinly sliced/diced (~150g shredded weight)
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 Tin Tomatoes (400g)
- 400g Tin of Beans- I used Black Eyed Beans here
- 1 litre of Vegetable Stock
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning/Mixed Herbs
- 100g Spaghetti/ GF Spaghetti
- Zest of Half an Orange
- Add a glug of olive oil to a large saucepan and tip in the onions, celery and carrots. Sauté for about 10 minutes, or until the onions and celery are soft.
- Tip in the garlic, stir for a minute or two until it is fragrant, then tip in the tinned tomatoes, stock, Italian seasoning, beans and pepper.
- Bring to the boil, then pop a lid on and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the lid, and snap your spaghetti into small strands and add to the soup. Return to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 more minutes.
- Finally, stir in your finely sliced spring green and grate in the zest of half an orange. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes more to cook the greens before serving with some crusty bread.
Method
- Add a glug of olive oil to a large saucepan and tip in the onions, celery and carrots. Sauté for about 10 minutes, or until the onions and celery are soft.
- Tip in the garlic, stir for a minute or two until it is fragrant, then tip in the tinned tomatoes, stock, Italian seasoning, beans and pepper.
- Bring to the boil, then pop a lid on and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the lid, and snap your spaghetti into small strands and add to the soup. Return to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 more minutes.
- Finally, stir in your finely sliced spring green and grate in the zest of half an orange. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes more to cook the greens before serving with some crusty bread.
Ingredients
- ~1tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 White Onion, diced
- 1 Stick Celery, thinly sliced
- 1 Carrot, cut into small cubes
- 1 Red or Orange Pepper, cut into small pieces
- 1 head of Spring Greens, stalk removed, thinly sliced/diced (~150g shredded weight)
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 1 Tin Tomatoes (400g)
- 400g Tin of Beans- I used Black Eyed Beans here
- 1 litre of Vegetable Stock
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning/Mixed Herbs
- 100g Spaghetti/ GF Spaghetti
- Zest of Half an Orange
Additional Information
To make this more appealing to small children, you can try adding in fun pasta shapes (like dinosaur pasta) and making sure their favourite veggies are included so there is something familiar in the bowl.
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