Ingredients (Serves 4)
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- 2 tbs olive oil
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- 1 large onion, finely diced
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- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
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- 2 carrots, finely diced
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- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
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- 1 medium courgette, finely diced
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- 4 chestnut mushrooms, finely sliced
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- 100g green beans into 2cm lengths
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- 150g spring cabbage or other greens, finely shredded
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- 1 tin finely chopped tomatoes or 200g diced fresh tomatoes
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- 1 tin cannellini or borlotti beans – including the water
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- 100g small pasta (macaroni, spirali etc)
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- ¼ tsp chilli flakes
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- 1 pint vegetable stock, water or chicken stock
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- 2 bay leaves
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- 1.5 tsp salt
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- 1tsp freshly ground black pepper
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- Parmesan for grating
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- Small bunch basil, chopped
"This hearty and tasty minestrone soup makes good use of any seasonal vegetables you can get your hands on. You don’t have to include all the vegetables in this list. Go for variety: colour and texture. Tinned and frozen veg are just fine. "
Barny,
Chef
Cegin y Bobl
Method
- Gently sweat the carrot, celery, onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft. This can take 20 minutes, but it’s worth it.
- Add the diced courgettes, mushrooms and chilli flakes and cook for another five minutes, stirring well.
- Add all the other vegetables, tomatoes, bay leaves, cannellini beans and stock and bring to a simmer. Season well with black pepper and salt.
- Add the pasta and chopped basil, stir well and cook gently for 45 minutes.
- Serve with grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
Tips
For a meaty taste, add some pancetta to the pan before cooking off all the vegetables.
If you like things cheesy, grate any of your favourite cheese on top.
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