The sheer variety of vegetables combined with cannellini beans is enough to make this a very healthy, fibre-loaded meal. If you use a homemade bone broth for the stock, you will derive even more nutrition and healing from this delicious minestrone.
Serves: 4–6
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Servings
4–6
Prep time
Cook time
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter or ghee
- 1 large onion, peeled & finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
- 4 rashers free-range (preferably nitrate-free) bacon, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled & diced
- 2 sticks celery, sliced
- Small bunch basil, leaves picked & stems finely chopped
- 2 × 400g tins diced tomatoes
- 100mL red wine (optional)
- 425g tin cannellini beans, drained & well rinsed
- 1 large or 2 small zucchini, diced
- 200g silver beet or spinach, leaves chopped
- 600mL chicken or vegetable stock (homemade is preferable)
- 50g spaghetti, broken into pieces (put in plastic bag & break by hand or by bashing with rolling pin)
- Sea salt & pepper, to taste
- Extra-virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese, to serve
Method
- In large pot, heat butter or ghee and over a very low heat cook onion, garlic, bacon, carrot, celery and basil stems (reserve leaves for later). You are not frying but rather sweating the vegetables and bacon with the lid ajar for around 20 mins until soft (but not brown).
- Now add tomato, red wine (optional), cannellini beans, zucchini, silver beet or spinach and stock.
- Turn up heat to moderate and return to simmer. Add spaghetti and cook for approx. 10 mins or until spaghetti is just cooked.
- Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with basil leaves, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese.
- Tip: To make this vegan, use vegetable stock and don’t add the bacon. You may like to increase the amount of beans.
Tried this recipe? Mention @wellbeing_magazine or tag #wbrecipe!
