Dinner · Italian
Minestrone soup
A big pot of beans, vegetables and pasta - cheap, freezable and quietly high in protein.

Method
- 1
Sweat onion, carrot, celery and garlic in olive oil for 8 minutes until soft and sweet.
- 2
Add tomatoes, oregano and bay leaf. Cook 5 minutes until the tomatoes darken.
- 3
Pour in stock and beans. Simmer 15 minutes.
- 4
Add pasta and cook until just done, then stir in spinach until it wilts.
- 5
Season well, finish with basil and a drizzle of olive oil.
Note
Skip the parmesan - a spoon of nutritional yeast gives the same savoury lift.
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