Name: Minestrone
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 150g / 5oz bacon, finely chopped; 1 onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 800g / 28oz crushed tomato (or 700g passata); 2 cups chicken stock/broth, low sodium; 2 cups water; 3 tbsp tomato paste; 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 400g / 14oz canned kidney beans, drained; 1 tsp EACH salt and pepper; 1 cup small pasta, like ditalini, tiny shells, risoni/orzo, baby macaroni, alphabet or star pasta; 1/4 cup parmesan, grated; 1 celery rib, chopped into 1.5cm / 1/2" pieces; 1 large carrot, peeled and diced 1.5cm / 1/2" pieces; 1 zucchini, chopped 1.5cm / 1/2" pieces; 1 potato, cut into 1.5cm / 1/2" pieces (peel if needed); 100g / 3oz green beans, trimmed then cut into 2cm / 3/5" lengths; 60g / 2oz baby spinach (or frozen spinach, kale or similar); For serving (optional): more parmesan, chopped parsley, crusty bread

Steps

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Notes

Vegetable swaps: any cookable vegetables, about 6 cups total, added according to cooking time. Vegetarian option: skip the bacon and use vegetable stock, then boost the broth with 3/4 cup parmesan, or 2 tsp vegetable stock powder in place of the salt (salt to taste at the end), or 3 finely chopped anchovies/2 tsp anchovy paste added while cooking the onion. Undercooking the pasta by 1 1/2 minutes keeps leftovers good for 3-4 days; it thickens to a stew, so thin with a little water. Freezes well.