Minestrone soup

Try our low-cost minestrone soup. It's hearty and nutritious, as well as dairy free and high in fibre.

Serves: 8

Time to make: 1 hr

Ingredients

More weights & measures

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped (around 1 cup)

1 leek, quartered lengthwise and finely chopped

2 courgettezucchiniXszucchini, summer squashX, quartered lengthwise and chopped

½ red capsicum, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely peeled and finely chopped

2 rashers bacon, fat removed and chopped

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

4 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon sugar

420g can white beans (use cannellini, butter or haricot beans)

⅓ cup small pasta (risoni, alphabets, tiny macaroni – whatever you can find)

handful fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

$AVER recipes were costed at $5 or below at the time of publication. We are mindful that seasonal and regional availability and price fluctuations occur - click here for healthy shopping tips for greater savings.

Instructions

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1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan and toss in the onion, garlic, celery and leek and stir until beginning to soften. Add the bacon, cook for 2 more minutes.

2 Add the other vegetables and cook over a gentle heat for around 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, stock, sugar, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. If you like your soup vegetables very soft, cook them longer, but I like them to retain their texture. When the vegetables are tender add the beans, pasta and parsley and simmer a further 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking to the base of the pan. Taste and add salt or pepper as required.

HFG tip

Soup pasta is generally a very small pasta shape, but use whatever you have. Soups, like casseroles, often taste better the following day so take the leftovers to work for lunch.

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 191 cal

Kilojoules 800 kJ

Protein 12.3 g

Total fat 4.2 g

Saturated fat 0.7 g

Carbohydrates 24.4 g

Sugar 11.4 g

Dietary fibre 8.7 g

Sodium 900 mg

Calcium 130 mg

Iron 3.6 mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.