Home is where the (Minestrone Soup) is

I crave this soup every time I am away from home for a while.

Because it is healthy. And it is filling. Not in the way fish and chips is filling and makes you want roll around on the floor and groan about how full you are. In the good way of “I don’t need to eat for the next 5 hours because I am truly satisfied” way.

I usually make this soup with sausages that we get at the local supermarket. They are german style smoked sausages called Mettenden. This time I used bacon. If you are vegetarian, super-low fat or freaked out by eating pigs you can leave it out. I like to add a bit of meat so the Photographer still thinks he is eating some from time to time.

Makes about 8 meal sized portions.

Ingredients

2 onions

3 carrots

250g bacon or smoked sausages e.g. mettenden/ chorizo

1 pepper/capsicum

4 zucchini

8 baby potatoes

1 can butter beans

1 tin tomato paste

1 large jar of Passata (600mL) or 2 tins of chopped tomatoes

½ cup pearl barley

8-10 teaspoons of chicken or vegetable stock powder

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Chop the bacon, onion, carrots, pepper and zucchini. Quarter the potatoes. Drain and rinse the beans in a colander.

 Heat the soup pot over medium heat. When the pan is hot add the bacon and fry until cooked. Remove the bacon and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the onions. Fry until transparent.

 

 Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the pearl barley. 

 Add the passata. Boil 3.5L of water in the kettle and add to pot.

 Place the lid on the pot and bring to boil.

Once the soup is boiling, turn down the heat and let simmer for 30min (the pearl barley should be almost tender and the soup should have changed from a bright red into a deeper red).

Add the pepper, zucchini, beans and bacon. Add 6 tsp of stock and stir until dissolved. Taste and continue to add additional stock powder to taste.

Add salt and pepper. Cook for a further 10min or until the zucchini are tender.

(I like to serve mine with grated cheese on the top – parmesan if you have it otherwise any grateable cheese will do!)