Serves 4-6
Cost of recipe approx. R90
Ingredients
- 1 pack of fresh soup mix of minestrone vegetables
Or
- 1 onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks of celery
- 1 baby marrow
- 1 large potato
- 1 x 400 g tin of beans
- Olive/canola oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 1 large handful of spinach
- 100 g wholemeal pasta
- ½ a bunch of fresh basil (optional)
- Cheese grated for serving
Method
- Peel and finely chop the garlic and onion. Trim and roughly chop the carrots, celery and baby marrow, then add the vegetables to a large bowl. Scrub and dice the potato. Drain the beans, then set aside.
- Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, baby marrow, oregano and bay and cook slowly for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened, stirring occasionally.
- Add the potato, beans and tomatoes, then pour in the vegetable stock. Stir well.
- Cover with a lid and bring everything slowly to the boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the potato is cooked through.
- Meanwhile… remove and discard any tough stalks bits from the greens, then roughly chop.
- To check the potato is cooked, pierce a chunk of it with a sharp knife – if it pierces easily it is done.
- Add the spinach and pasta to the pot, and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. This translates as ‘to the tooth’ and means that it should be soft enough to eat, but still have a bit of a bite and firmness to it. Try some just before the time is up to make sure you cook it perfectly.
- Add a splash more stock or water to loosen and thin, if needed.
- Pick over the basil leaves (if using) and stir through. Season to taste with salt and black pepper, then serve with a grating of cheese and a slice of wholemeal bread, if you like.
Recipe inspired by a minestrone soup recipe from Jamie Oliver.
