Meat Free Monday / Minestrone Soup

I have a few blog posts lined up ... in my mind, so I'll get around to typing them out shortly. Now for my semi-regular Meat Free Monday post. This week its a recipe I've been making regularly for the past 3 years. It's Donal Skeehan's Hearty Minestrone Soup. Its very simple to make, nothing fancy, just honest, warming goodness. It's great for using up odd-shaped pasta shells that seem to accumlate in my cupboard.



This is also a great family recipe, especially if yours don't like spicy or exotic dishes. I have my own bottle of tobasco in the cupboard and will likely turn into one of those people who carry it in the handbags. It's simple and full of vegetables that can be purchased cheaply from any supermarket.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)
1 courgette, chopped into small chunks
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 x 410g tins cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into small chunks
2 litres/4 pints homemade or shop bought veg stock
75g/3oz wholewheat spaghetti, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A good pinch of paprika
A good pinch of sea salt

Method:
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic cloves and onion for a couple of minutes or until they become soft.

- Add the celery, carrots and courgette and cook for five minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and stock, and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

- Add the wholewheat pasta, paprika and cannellini beans. Give the soup a good stir and cover. Cook gently for a further 10 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.

- Season with a little sea salt and serve straightaway. I add a few glugs of tobasco to my bowl for some heat.

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This is brilliant for bringing in a soup thermos to work, and is very economical to make. It pleases everyone really!

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