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Quick Minestrone Soup

A hearty Minestrone Soup with seasonal vegetables, tomatoes, beans and pasta
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Course: Soup
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Melby

Ingredients

  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 4 cups vegetable stock, warmed
  • 250 g mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 carrots, quartered lengthwise and sliced
  • 5 baby marrows, halved lengthwise and sliced
  • 3 tbsp tomato puree
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 t sugar
  • 2 hands small pasta shapes like shells or elbow macaroni
  • 1 tin baked beans in tomato sauce
  • ½ cup frozen peas (optional)

Instructions

  • Add the oil to a large pot and fry the onion, garlic and celery over medium heat until translucent but not browned.
  • Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for another 3 minutes.
  • Add the carrots, mushrooms and baby marrows.
  • Add the warmed stock and bring up to a simmer.
  • Add the tomato puree, sugar and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
  • Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • If some of the liquid has cooked away, top-up the level of liquid in the pot with just-boiled water.
  • Increase the heat until the soup is bubbling well, add the pasta shapes and stir frequently as the pasta will quickly stick to the bottom of the pot otherwise.
  • Cook until the pasta is al dente, add frozen peas and reduce the heat.
  • Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. You could also add some just-boiled water again if the soup is too thick.
  • Add the tin of baked beans just before serving, mixing carefully.
  • Serve with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley and crusty bread.

Notes

  • Many recipes for Minestrone Soup use chopped, tinned tomatoes. I am not mad about the metallic taste the tinned tomatoes add, especially as this soup doesn't cook for very long. I therefore prefer to add fresh tomatoes and fry them with the onion, garlic and celery for added flavour.