Green minestrone soup

Quick, easy and healthy.. my motto with most of my cooking.. plus it must tick the GF and Vegan box ;)

I was inspired by a similar recipe from the Woolworths magazine but beefed it up (not literally) with tofu and broccoli. I didn't have any mini pasta so just used what I had in the cupboard. So with out too much fluff, let's get stuck into my version of the Green Minestrone Soup recipe :)

What you'll need

The base

• Onion 1/2 or whole.. depending on how fond you are of onion, finely chopped

• Leek, 1/2.. finely chopped

• Garlic cloves x 2, minced. Or use minced garlic from a jar, 1 - 2 teaspoons.

• Olive oil - 1 - 2 tablespoons

Soup filling

• Vegetable stock - 750mls (two teaspoons of vegetable stock to 750ml boiled water)

• Tofu, around 250grams, diced into small chunks whatever size you prefer.

• Peas (frozen) 100 grams or so

• Spinach frozen or fresh. I use a few small frozen spinach cubes by Bell Farms (available at Woollies)

• Pasta 100 grams or so. Small pasta is a tradition in minestrones, but use whatever you have o hand.

• Broccoli - sliced into small pieces.

• Optional - Cannellini beans.. adds some extra volume to your soup.

• Optional - nutritional yeast. I love nutritional yeast.. you can get it from health food stores and even supermarkets. It provides a 'cheezy-like' taste.

• Italian herbs like oregano, parsley and or basil. If using dry herbs, add a teaspoon of each. If using fresh, add a handful of chopped herbs.

Utensils

• Medium-sized pot

• Wooden spoon (preferable)

Pulling it all together

The base

• Add the olive oil to your pot then the onion and leek and lightly fry.

• Add garlic and lightly fry but don't brown your garlic.

• Season with salt & pepper.

Soup filling

• Add the chopped tofu and fry. Add some more olive oil if needed.

• If using cannallini beans, add them as well and lightly fry.

• Add the vegetable stock.

• Add your pasta of choice.

• Add the spinach and peas

• Add your herbs

• Optional sprinkle in some nutritional yeast like 1 tablespoon

• Season with salt and pepper

• Simmer your soup until the pasta is cooked.

While you simmer your soup, steam the broccoli just to the point where you can stick a fork into the stem.

Tip: Broccoli can overcook quickly and bright coloured broccoli florets can quickly turn into dark green/brown, broccoli with an overcooked flavour.

Serve the milestone in a bowl then add the broccoli.

This soup will last for 3-5 days in the fridge.

Enjoy my friends...

x

PS: if you see any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors or stuff that doesn't make sense, let me know!