Minestrone Soup Recipe

Chunky Minestrone Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 Large Onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
2 leeks
1 large potato
150g bacon diced
olive oil
100g frozen peas
2 pints of beef stock
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp dried basil
4 plum tomatoes
100g small pasta e.g. maccaroni
50g rice
salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:

1.  Chop the onion and finely peel and slice the carrots and potatoes, slice the leeks.

2.  Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onion and crushed garlic.  Add the chopped bacon and cook for five minutes

3.  Stir in the carrots, leeks and peas and cook for a further five minutes

4.  Add the potatoes, tomatoes, stock, tomato puree, basil and seasoning and bring to the boil.  Cover with a lid and simmer for five minutes

5.  Stir in the pasta and rice and simmer for 15 minutes

Serve with warm crusty bread