Minestrone Soup «sopa minestrone/蔬菜浓汤»

This budget minestrone is the classic Italian soup made with black-eyed beans and elbow pasta. Minestrone is perfect for a light spring or summer lunch option. Use whatever vegetables or beans you have.  It is great for batch cooking too, just divide it into portions and pop it in the freezer and wonderfully warming soup will never be far from your bowl.

Makes: 4 Servings      Preparation Time:  Less than 20 minutes     Cook Time: 30 to 45 minutes

Course: Soup

Cuisine: International, Vegan, Vegetarian

Author: Healthy Asian Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 3 large celery sticks, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1.5 litres/3 pints vegetable stock, made from stock cubes
• 400g tin black-eyed beans, drained and rinsed
• 100g/3½ dried elbow pasta
• ¼ head savoy cabbage, finely shredded
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat a large lidded saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, fry until softened and turn golden brown then deglaze with 2 tablespoons of vegetable stock.   Next, add celery and carrot and stir to mix then season with a little salt.
2. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a further 3 minutes.
3. Tip in the stock and tomatoes. Bring slowly to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer,  cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Add the beans and pasta and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. If the soup is too thick, add some hot water to reach your preferred consistency.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.

Notes:   The minestrone is vegan and vegetarian, as long as you use vegetables.    This recipe is made without using oil.  If you prefer to fry the onion with oil, use either ½  to 1 tablespoon of vegetable or olive oil.   For the bean, you can substitute black-eyed beans with white beans (cannellini or butter beans).     For the vegetable, you could use other vegetables such as courgette, leek, cauliflower, peas or potato.