Minestrone Soup

Ingredients:

• Olive oil

• 4 rashers smoky bacon, finely chopped

• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

• 2 x 400g tins good-quality plum tomatoes

• 1 x jar red onion and rosemary pasta sauce

• 1 courgette, roughly chopped

• 2 x 400g tins cannellini or borlotti beans, drained

• a small wineglass of red wine

• 1 pint chicken stock.

• 1 handful of baby pasta or spaghetti broken up into small pieces

•2handfuls of spinach washed and spun dry

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepperextra virgin olive oilParmesan cheese, to serve

Method:

Heat your oil in a saucepan and add the chopped bacon, onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Sweat very slowly on a low heat for around 15 to 20 minutes until soft, but not brown. Add tins of tomatoes, jar of red onion and rosemary pasta sauce, courgette, drained beans and the red wine. Give everything a good stir, and then let it all simmer for 15 minutes.

When it’s simmered for 15 minutes add your stock and baby pasta. Stir and continue to simmer until the pasta is cooked.

Add your spinach and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the spinach has wilted down.

If you think the soup looks a bit too thick, add a splash more stock to loosen it. Have a taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil over the top. Put the block of Parmesan on the table with a grater and let everyone help themselves. Heaven!