Minestrone Soup with Pepper Noodles

Course: Lunch or light main Skill level: medium Serves: 5-6

1 orange pepper Olive oil

6 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped finely

1 stick celery diced finely

1 red onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbs oregano

Sprig of rosemary

2 carrots, diced

2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes

1 x 400 g tin cannellini beans, drained

800 ml (1 pt 8 fl oz) vegetable stock

½ a leek, chopped finely

1 courgette, diced

35 g (1¼ oz) shredded kale leaves

1 Fit your spiralizer with the slicing attachment, remove the green stalk from the pepper and turn into noodles. Using a pair of scissors, snip the noodles a couple of times into smaller lengths.

2 Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large saucepan over a low heat, add in the bacon and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes or until the fat is crispy and golden brown. Add in the celery, onion, garlic, oregano, rosemary and carrots and continue cooking over a low heat for around 10 minutes or until the vegetables are beginning to soften.

3 Add the tomatoes and cannellini beans, pour over the vegetable stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Throw in the leek, courgette and pepper noodles and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes.

4 Stir in the shredded kale and remove from the heat, letting the residual heat wilt it down. Ladle into bowls to serve.