MINESTRONE SOUP

                                   

Minestrone is a perfect "left overs dish" and its also delicious, warming and nourishing in the colder months. You can use up whatever you have to hand - Rice or Quinoa work well in place of the pasta, and any vegetables you want to use up. If you don't have left over tomato pasta sauce, use fresh tomatoes blended up into a puree, passata from a jar or the tomato soup recipe on the blog.

                   home grown carrots!

INGREDIENTS
serves 2
2 handfuls dried gluten free pasta
120g haricot beans or butter beans from a tin (drained weight)
1 peeled & diced shallot or half a red onion
1 carrot, peeled, sliced & diced.
50 g green beans
75g cooked potato cut into small pieces.
200g tomato pasta sauce (or 200g passata or 200g fresh tomatoes blended to a liquid consistency)
250ml stock (chicken or vegetable, fresh or from a cube)

1 Bring a large pan of boiling water of lightly salted water to the boil. Add a dessertspoon of light olive oil (or similar) to stop the pasta sticking together.
2 Add the pasta, reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave for about 10-15 mins until the pasta is cooked. Drain in a colander and rinse in cold water. You can leave soaking in cold water if the rest of the minestrone isn't ready.....
3 Slice & dice the carrot, peel & slice the shallot and top & tail the green beans.
4 Heat a dessertspoon of light olive oil/ rapeseed oil or butter in a frying pan, and add the chopped shallot. stir fry over a medium heat until starting the shallot has softened and is starting to brown.
5 Transfer the shallot, the carrot & the green beans to a saucepan and add the stock. Bring the stock to the boil & then reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave it gently bubbling away for about 5 mins until the carrot is cooked.
6  Drain the haricot beans and add to the saucepan with the tomato pasta sauce. Add the cooked potato.
7. Drain the pasta & add to the pan.
8. Leave on a low ish heat for a few mins for the potato & beans to warm through, then serve.
If you want a more liquid consistency just add some more stock.

 To serve, you can add some grated cheese (optional) & some chopped fresh herbs (again - optional)