Bean and vegetable soup

This is a good hearty soup that’ll keep you going for hours. We’ve used less pasta than in the traditional recipe to keep calories down, but there are plenty of beans and vegetables to fill you up.

SERVES 4 290 calories per serving

1tbsp olive oil 50g back bacon, trimmed of fat and finely diced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery sticks, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1tsp dried oregano

Parmesan rind, optional 100ml red wine

400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

4 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped, or 200g canned chopped tomatoes 600ml chicken stock

50g wholewheat pasta (any short form will do)

Green cabbage or the equivalent in other greens

1 large courgette, diagonally sliced Freshly ground black pepper Squeeze lemon juice, optional

To serve

Handful basil leaves, roughly torn 25g Parmesan cheese, grated

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the diced bacon and fry until it is nice and crisp and brown. Then add the onion, fennel, carrots, celery and garlic and cook gently for a couple of minutes.

2 Sprinkle over the oregano, add the Parmesan rind, if using, then pour over the red wine. Bring to the boil and simmer until the wine has reduced by about half.

3 Add the beans and tomatoes, then pour in the stock. Bring the soup back to the boil and simmer for about 15min until all the vegetables are tender.

4 Add the pasta and cabbage, continue to simmer for 5min, then add the courgette. Simmer for another 5-10min until the pasta is cooked but still has a little bite to it and all the vegetables are cooked through.

Have a taste and add black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice if you think the soup needs it.

5 Sprinkle over the basil and serve the soup with a scant tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each bowl.