Super fast minestrone made with love
I have cooked in an early learning centre for a while now and one thing that has been ultimately confirmed for me over the years is a child’s love for pasta.
Minestrone… It’s a pasta soup… and when two comfort foods combine you are left with a big bowl full of love.
The most beautiful thing about a minestrone is its versatility. It is a thick Italian vegetable soup and it can be made with any seasonal vegetables at hand, it can contain some meat like pancetta offcuts or maybe some braising beef, it often contains a legume of some sort and it almost always has some pasta thrown in too.
If most people were to name one thing about the Italian way of life its most likely going to be their passion for food and cooking it with love. I still remember eating my Nanna’s minestrone when I was a little girl, she’s Sicilian, she migrated to Australia when young and she’s such an incredible cook, so much of my inspiration comes from the food she cooked for us when growing up and they’re memories that I will hold close to my heart my whole life.
This recipe uses staple ingredients found in most common family kitchens and leaving out meat all together and using the plant protein powerhouse chickpeas, this dish makes a nourishing and speedy throw together vegetarian meal that is loaded with essential nutrients for sustaining those busy little bodies.
This soup is deal for freezing, you can leave out the pasta and simply add it when heating.
The bowl pictured has a spoonful of cooked quinoa added on reheating, I like to have some cooked in the fridge as it is a nutritious ingredient to bulk out a meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner or simply to stretch that last portion of soup or stew just a little bit further.
*I like to store soups and stews in glass jars for freezing and label and date the lid, but be sure not to over fill as glass can easily crack on freezing if too full.
Recipe serves 4 -6
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 carrot, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup diced pumpkin
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 small zucchini, diced
1 can chopped tomatoes (organic)
1500ml stock (chicken or vegetable)
1/2 cup small pasta (I used a small coloured quinoa penne)
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup spinach, chopped
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat and cook the onions for around 5 minutes, until they’re translucent. Add in the garlic, carrots and dried oregano and cook for a further 5 minutes then add all of the ingredients up to the stock and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and cracked pepper if desired.
Add the pasta and chickpeas to the soup and cook until the pasta is al’dente, around 7 minutes, then finish with the spinach and parsley.
Serve immediately or cool quickly and freeze for future convenience meals.
Buon appetite xx
