Ingredients

• 1 Large brown onion
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 1 Leek
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Zucchinis
• 1 cup of frozen Peas
• ¼ cabbage
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• 1 bunch of fresh Basil
• 15oz – 400g Cannellini or borlotti beans (pre cooked or tin)
• 1 x 400g canned tomatoes
• 1 cup Conchiglie Pasta (or similar)
• 6 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 Bay leaf
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• Parmesan cheese (enough to grate over soup)
• 2 quarts - 2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
• 6 tbsp olive oil

Steps

• Step 1

  Peel and chop your onion and carrots. Wash and chop the zucchinis, the celery. Wash and chop the leek finely. Chop the thyme. Cut the cabbage in half, remove the stalk, slice then chop finely. Chop up the canned tomatoes. Chop up the basil stalks, keep the leaves for later.

• Step 2

  In a large stock pot over medium heat, add the olive oil stir and sweat off the chopped onion with thyme and minced garlic. Then add the chopped leek, celery, carrot, zucchini (leave to later if you prefer them firm) and cabbage. Mix well and sweat until tender for approx 15 minutes. Lower the heat if they start to brown.

• Step 3

  Add the chicken stock, the chopped canned tomatoes, frozen peas, tomato paste, basil stalks and the bay leaf.
  Season with a little salt and pepper. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.

• Step 4

  Add the cooked beans and pasta shells. Cook for 10 minutes. Check for seasoning, add more salt if required. Chop up the basil leaves, turn off the heat and add to soup, mix well. Optionally add some chopped parsley as well.

• Step 5

  Serve with some grated cheese directly in the centre of the plate.

Little Tips

If you’re planning on reheating the soup another day, best not to add the pasta, as the next time you reheat it, it will be mushy. Simply pre-cook your pasta, refrigerate separately and add to each serve of soup prior to serving. You can use other types of small pasta shapes, even broken up spaghetti. Minestrone is quite flexible, you can add other vegetables such as green beans, chard, spinach, broccoli etc. But simplicity is always best so you can taste each ingredient. If it’s too tick, simply add more water. Place a teaspoon of pesto in the centre of the plate before serving for that extra basil hit. Definitely serve with rustic crusty bread, preferably toasted and laced with virgin olive oil. Add a handful of chopped parsley for extra flavour and freshness. Don’t overcook the vegetables, same as the pasta, they should be slightly aldente for that added texture.