Meatless Family Dinners

Minestrone

A whole vegetable drawer in one pot. The pasta goes in for the last twenty minutes, same rule as everywhere else in this book.

What goes in

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 zucchini, cut into half moons
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 28 oz diced tomatoes
• 15 oz cannellini beans, drained · 15 oz kidney beans, drained
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp dried basil · 2 tsp dried oregano · 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp salt · 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 parmesan rind, if you have one

Stir in at the end

• 1 cup small pasta such as ditalini
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• grated parmesan and olive oil, to serve

How to make it

1. Put the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, both tins of beans, the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, bay leaf, salt and pepper in the pot.
2. Pour the broth over and drop in the parmesan rind. Lid on.
3. Low 6 hours or high 3 hours.
4. Add the zucchini and the dry pasta, turn the pot to high, lid on, 20 minutes until the pasta is just done.
5. Stir the spinach through until it wilts, about 3 minutes.
6. Pull out the bay leaf and the rind. Serve with grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.