Minestrone Soup
Ingredients
- 110 g (¼ lb) red lentils, rinsed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 courgette, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 110 g (¼ lb) sliced mushrooms
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 400 g can tomatoes, puréed
- Dash red grape juice (optional)
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 55 g (2 oz) spaghetti, broken
- 850 ml (1½ pints) vegetable stock
- Salt & pepper
- Fresh parsley, chopped (to finish)
Instructions
- Sauté onion and garlic in a little olive oil until softened.
- Add courgette, carrot, and red pepper; cook 10 minutes, stirring.
- Add mushrooms, dried herbs, salt, pepper; cook until mushrooms soften.
- Stir in lentils, stock, tomato purée, puréed tomatoes, and grape juice (if using). Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
- Add broken spaghetti; simmer 15 minutes until pasta and lentils tender.
- Stir in parsley, adjust seasoning, and serve.