Truly hearty winter soup

THIS perfect family filler is simple, quick and extremely tasty! A real winner for these cold nights.

As this broth is so lentil-rich it is almost meaty and perfectly healthy too, it’s just got it all. In a word – substantial!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

150g pancetta or lean bacon, diced into small pieces

1 celery head, sliced

150g spinach or kale

1 garlic clove, crushed (optional) 400g tin (organic) chopped tomatoes

1 ltr vegetable stock

1 chicken stock cube (reduced salt is better)

300g of mixed dried lentils, split peas and barley

800g chopped fresh vegetable (onion, carrots, swede, potato)

Handful of dried whole grain durum wheat pasta shapes

Handful of chopped parsley

Recipe:

Add the olive oil to a large heavy bottom pan and heat, add the pancetta or bacon and carefully sauté, remove from the heat after a minute.

Add the celery, spinach and garlic and return to the heat to sweat, turning all the time so as not to brown.

After two minutes crumble in the chicken stock cube followed by the dried lentils, stirring thoroughly to coat. Add the tinned tomato and simmer for a further two minutes before adding the vegetable stock.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and mix in all of the chopped vegetables together with the chopped parsley, return to the heat to gently simmer for 5mins before adding your pasta shapes, finish by simmering for a further 10 mins.

Season to your taste and if necessary add a little extra vegetable stock and water. Serve whilst wonderfully warming! Root

Vegetables are antioxidant rich and packed with potassium, carotene, minerals, vitamins and NSP dietary fibre, plus they are low in calories too!

LESLEY has just completed her studies in Nutrition & Health at Edge Hill University, she and husband Roberto own Roberto’s Italian on Southport’s Ocean Plaza.

For more of Lesley’s Recipes go to: www.robertositalian or chek out Facebook.com/ robertossouthport