Winter minestrone

A big, filling pot of vegetables, beans and little pasta that costs pennies and makes lunches too.

Ingredients

• 30 ml Olive oil
• 1 Onions, diced
• 200 g Carrots, diced
• 1 Celery, diced
• 1 Courgettes, diced
• 0.5 Garlic, cloves, crushed
• 20 g Tomato purée
• 400 g Chopped tomatoes
• 400 g Cannellini beans, drained
• 2 Vegetable stock cubes, dissolved in 1.2 litres hot water
• 3 g Mixed herbs
• 100 g Spaghetti, broken into short pieces
• 80 g Spinach
• 3 g Salt
• 2 g Black pepper

Method

1. Soften the onion, carrots and celery in the oil in a large pan for 10 minutes.
2. Add the courgette and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the purée and herbs.
3. Add the tomatoes, beans and stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the broken spaghetti and cook for 8 minutes, until tender.
5. Stir in the spinach until wilted, season, and serve in bowls with crusty bread.