Slow-Cooked Minestrone Soup
A delicious and easy Minestrone Soup from Four Seasons Cookbook. Minestrone is a great way to use up a glut of vegetables and can be made over any of the seasons, using whatever is available. It’s low in fat and full of protein and fibre. The beauty of this recipe is that you can just load up the slow cooker pot, switch on and leave it to do its magic.
Ingredients
Onion 1 large, peeled and finely chopped
Celery 3 sticks, finely chopped
Green beans 100g (3½oz), trimmed and chopped into 1cm (½in) pieces
Courgettes 1–2 (depending on size), chopped into small cubes
Garlic 2 cloves, peeled and crushed
Bay leaf 1
Oregano 4 sprigs
Chopped tomatoes 400g can
Vegetable stock 800ml (28fl oz)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cannellini beans 400g can, drained
Spaghetti 50g (2oz), broken into small pieces
Kale or Savoy cabbage 100g (3½oz), finely shredded
Basil leaves handful, shredded if large, to serve
Olive oil to serve
Instructions
1
Place the onion, celery, green beans, courgettes, garlic and herbs into a large slow cooker pot. Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, salt and pepper and stir well. Put the lid on and cook on the low setting for 5 hours or until the vegetables are tender.
2
Add the cannellini beans, spaghetti and shredded kale or cabbage and cook for a further 30–45 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.
3
Ladle into warmed bowls, scatter with shredded basil leaves and add a drizzle of olive oil.
Categories:Batch CookingChilly DaysFour Seasons CookbookFreezer FriendlyMainsVeganVegetablesVegetarian
Katy Hackforth