Why not try this delicious quick and easy recipe for Minestrone Soup for dinner tonight. Great in a thermos for work or school as well.
Apart from the containing lots of vegetables, this recipe contains a wonderful low GI grain and beans. Combined they provide a source of quality protein as well as lots of fibre to improve digestive health.
Tomatoes are also an excellent source of lycopene associated with reduced prostate cancer risk.
Marvellous Minestrone Soup
INGREDIENTS
6-8 cups of vegetable stock or use 2-3cubes of low salt vegetable stock cupes in water
1 large brown onion chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 medium potatoes diced
2 medium carrots cut lengthwise and sliced
2 tablespoons barley
3 stalks celery including leaves sliced
3 zucchini halved lengthwise and sliced
1 sachet tomato paste
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 red chilli finely chopped (optional)
2 tblspns of fresh basil chopped
1 tblspn oregano (1 tspn dried)
2 tblspns fresh parsley
Herbamare vegetable seasoning to taste or celtic sea salt
1 tspn raw sugar (optional but brings out flavour of tomatoes)
Cans of cannelini, red kidney and brown lentils (quick option) or alternatively presoak dried mixed beans over night, rinse and cook for 1 hr.
METHOD
Bring stock to the boil in a large pot, add back in partially cooked dried beans and first lot of ingredients and bring back to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle rolling boil and cook for 10mins.
Add next lot of ingredients and cook until vegetables are just tender, approximately 10mins.
(Quick version) Finally add 1/2 can each of the beans and salad and cook for a further 5 minutes until warmed through.
Serve in large bowls sprinkled with grated parmesan or grated pecorino sheep’s cheese.
The remaining beans can be added to salads or stirfries to improve nutritional value of meals
aboutnutrition.me 