Full Time Meals: Minestrone Soup
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1⁄2 tbsp tomato puree
1 reduced salt vegetable stock cube
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tin of tomato soup
2 mugs of frozen mixed vegetables
1 mug of dried macaroni (or any pasta shape)
Pepper
2 slices of bread
4 tsp dried grated parmesan, to serve
(Serves 4)
Method
- Start by peeling the onion and garlic and roughly chop them. Then heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Once hot, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden brown. Add the tomato purée and crumble in the stock cube, giving it a good stir, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the tin of soup. Fill up an empty tin twice with water and pour these into the pan. Add a bit of pepper, stir it all together, and bring it to the boil so it starts to bubble.
- Add the frozen veg to the pan, cooking for 2 minutes, then stir in the pasta and pop the lid on the saucepan. Leave it to cook for 8-10 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until the pasta is cooked.
- Just before the soup is ready, pop the bread in the toaster and toast until golden brown. Then cut it up into cubes to make croutons.
- Spoon the soup into bowls and scatter with the croutons and parmesan. Tuck in!
