MINESTRONE GREENS & BEANS
A hearty soup that is adaptable to use ‘what’s-in-the-fridge’ vegetables. You can use any mix of beans. I’ve added a bit of miso paste to make the flavour sing; feel free to play around with herbs and spices, too. If you have time to simmer this pot for longer than 30 minutes, the vegetables will be softer and taste even better.
SERVES PREPARATION TIME COOKING TIME
1 tsp rapeseed oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into small dice
1 celery stick, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 courgette, cut into small dice 200g mushrooms
400g can chopped tomatoes 500ml reduced-salt vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp dried Italian mixed herbs or oregano
1 tsp miso paste (optional)
400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
200g spinach, washed, chopped and tough stalks removed handful of fresh basil leaves handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
TO SERVE (OPTIONAL)
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a fairly high heat then fry the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, courgette and mushrooms for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, stock, dried herbs and miso, if using, then bring to a boil. Add the beans, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes (the vegetables will still have some bite and texture after this time).
Remove from the heat, stir through the spinach, basil and parsley and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Taste and season with black pepper. Serve in four bowls and add a teaspoon of cheese for each, if using.
HHHNUTRITION TIP
Like all beans, cannellini contain fairly high amounts of carbohydrate but a significant proportion is pure fibre so they will help keep you full for longer. They have a lower GI than potatoes and are also low in fat and full of protein. NB Nutritional values throughout are per person.
ENERGY PROTEIN FAT SATURATED FAT CARBOHYDRATE 22g
TOTAL SUGARS 11g SALT 0.5g SODIUM 215mg FIBRE 10g