Healthy minestrone soup
Method
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Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the bacon and fry for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked and starting to brown.
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Add the carrots, celery, garlic and onions and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the potatoes and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
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Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes, bouquet garni and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, then simmer gently for 30 minutes.
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Add the courgettes and soup pasta and return to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan with the lid, then simmer for 5-8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Discard the bouquet garni.
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To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, then sprinkle over the parsley and Parmesan.
Ingredients
- splash olive oil
- 200g/7oz streaky bacon or lean back-bacon, rind removed, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 6 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 potatoes, such as Maris Peer potatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 bouquet garni
- 0.75 litres/1½ pints reduced-salt vegetable stock
- 3 courgettes, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 1 large handful soup pasta
To serve
- 1 handful fresh flatleaf parsley, leaves finely chopped
- 100g/3½oz Parmesan, finely grated
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