Minestrone Soup

Serves 6-8


Cooking Time: 45 minutes

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 cup pumpkin, diced
• 100g smoked bacon, finely diced (omit for vegetarian version)
• 1 bunch basil, stalks finely chopped, leaves torn
• 1/2 cup red wine 
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 small courgettes, diced
• 400g can of borlotti beans
• 1 medium bunch, silverbeet, stalks diced, leaves chopped roughly
• 1 cup of GF pasta (I used Orgran Animal Shapes)
• 750ml FF chicken or vegetable stock
• Parmesan cheese/basil pesto to serve

1. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add celery, carrot, pumpkin, basil stalks and bacon. Reduce heat, cover pan with lid just ajar and sweat vegetables for 10-15 minutes or until just soft.
2. Add courgettes, tomatoes and wine. Simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add silverbeet, beans, stock and pasta. Simmer until pasta is cooked (10 minutes). If at any point the soup is too thick for your liking, add a little water.
4. Serve with fresh basil leaves on top and some grated parmesan or a tablespoon of basil pesto.

(Modified version of recipe in Jamie Oliver, Jamie's Italy, Penguin, 2010)

This recipe is suitable for freezing but beware the gluten free pasta will not hold up well to this. It may be worth omitting it and adding it when reheating. I usually blend the soup for freezing anyway as the veggies loose a bit of their texture in freezing.