RECIPE: Italian borlotti bean, pumpkin & farro soup

HEARTY and healthy. Serves: 6

Ingredients

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stick, in chunks

750g pumpkin chunks

1 carrot, in chunks

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 tbsp tomato puree

1.2 litres chicken stock

75g farro grains

80g parmesan rinds, plus shavings to serve

400g can borlotti beans, drained

2 handfuls spinach

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Method

1 Heat oil in a saucepan and cook all veg until they have some colour. Add a splash of water and seasoning, then cover and cook over a low heat for five minutes.

2 Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes, then add tomato puree, stock, farro and parmesan rinds. Simmer for 15 minutes until farro is cooked, adding beans for final five minutes and spinach for a couple of minutes.

3 Remove rinds, add parsley and serve soup with shavings of parmesan and drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.