by Mandy Wilks

Created on: November 19, 2010

A good authentic minestrone soup is NOTHING like that poor imitation of a soup that comes in a can!

Minestrone is of course the famous thick Italian soup (its name actually means the big soup, and  there is no one recipe for the soup as it is made using whatever vegetables there are available at the time and it also contains pasta and beans. Minestrone can contain meat or it can be vegetarian, but it always contains lots of delicious herbs.

The recipe I use is one that I have based on a delicious minestrone soup that is served in my favourite little Sardinian restaurant that the owner and chef (Tony) serves with a relish of black pepper and fresh Parmesan; it is truly delicious and perfect for cold winter nights!

This is a meal in itself; it is tasty, healthy and is also suitable for vegetarians.

MINESTRONE SOUP A LA TONY

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 onion, very finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large or 2 small courgette (zucchini) diced into small cubes

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 stick celery, REALLY finely diced

2 carrots, very finely julienned

100g fresh or frozen green beans cut into 1” pieces

500ml vegetable broth

1 can chopped tomatoes, drained

1 can cannelloni beans, drained

1 can kidney beans. drained

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground black paper

2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs

1 teaspoon chopped basil

250g baby spinach leaves

75g very small pasta shapes

METHOD

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan.

2. Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and courgettes in the oil for about five minutes until the onions begin to turn translucent but do not brown.

3. Add the stock with the drained cans of beans and tomatoes, carrot and all the herbs.

4. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer the soup for about twenty minutes minutes.

5. Taste and season to taste, add the washed spinach leaves and pasta shapes and simmer for a further twenty minutes until the soup has reduced slightly and has a good consistency.

Serve this delicious soup with a grating of Parmesan cheese and more black pepper if desired. Delicious!

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